


In the Land of the Blind...

by Soulstar07



Category: Code Geass
Genre: ...probably, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Black Knights, Execution, Eye Trauma, Gen, Identity Reveal, Lelouch and the Knights deserve to understand each other, Mild Gore, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Political Alliances, Politics, Post R1, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rebellion, Tags Are Hard, Trauma, Violence, and a nice coffee, basically an alternate version of season two, my boy needs a break, no beta we die like men, no one dies tho, post season one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2020-05-14 13:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19274185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulstar07/pseuds/Soulstar07
Summary: ...the One-Eyed Man is king.--The Black Rebellion has come and gone, and Zero was captured, along with many of the other Knights. When they are reunited on the day of their execution, they must pit together to escape from their imminent deaths, even despite high tensions between the Knights and the newly-revealed Zero.Meanwhile, a new resistance group called the Keibatsu has cropped up from the ashes of the Black Knights. Their leader, calling herself Phoenix, is determined to finish what Zero started. The flame of rebellion is by no means dead in Area Eleven.Lelouch himself finds himself powerless in this new world and new rebellion. His Geass has been stolen, leaving him with only one eye and a biting sense of bitterness. With none of his supernatural powers to lean back on, Lelouch—feeling trapped and powerless—falls into the ranks of Phoenix's resistance group, keeping his head down to avoid attention.But perhaps fate is not yet ready to end his story...





	1. Preparations

Kallen was absolutely, positively miserable. It was bad enough that she'd had to live as a prisoner for the better part of a year now, but she also had had to suffer through it all brooding over what she'd learned during the Black Rebellion. Knowledge of Zero's identity, of a power called Geass, knowledge that Lelouch had been playing everyone for a fool. It burned that she couldn't say anything about it. She wasn't foolish enough to blab his identity to everyone, despite how she personally felt about him. Zero was an extremely capable and invaluable leader. To jeopardize their one chance of overthrowing Britannia just because she personally didn't like the boy would be a big mistake.

Currently, she was in a barren holding cell with Ohgi. The cell had two uncomfortable beds and a slightly secluded toilet. The Britannians didn't even have the decency to house her with at least Chiba. As much as she trusted Ohgi, sometimes it could be slightly awkward to go to the bathroom, since though there was a wall divider, there was no door.

Tamaki was in the cell to their left with Tohdoh. It was a wonder that Tohdoh had the patience to deal with him, though she supposed the reason they were housed together was because Tamaki was probably the one least likely to contribute to scheming anything with Tohdoh—in fact, he was probably a hindrance. To her cell's right was Asahina and Chiba. Farther down in that direction were Senba and Kento.

She wasn't sure if any of the other more influential Black Knights had been captured. She hoped that Kaguya and anyone else had managed to escape execution. The Six Houses of Kyoto _had_ to have been in heaps of trouble after the failed Black Rebellion.

Kallen couldn't help but wonder what had become of Lelouch. The last she'd seen him, Suzaku had captured him during their confrontation. She had a feeling that if he was a prisoner as well, he was in a more secluded holding cell.

Back in the aftermath of the Rebellion, she'd eluded the Britannians for a while by laying low, but eventually they'd caught up with her. Suzaku had apparently been rewarded for capturing Zero by becoming a Knight of the Round. With his newfound political power, he'd pulled some strings to make sure she had been captured alive. At first she'd been a little confused, but it'd all made sense when he met with her in jail to bargain with her to revoke her Japanese name and forsake the Knights. Apparently he still had some kind of attachment to her, if she could call it that. More likely, she suspected that he respected her Piloting skills in a weird way and wanted to have her as an ally rather than an enemy.

She'd spat in his face and told him to go to hell.

He'd tried a few more times, but after receiving only her same responses, he'd given up.

Tch. As if she could be tempted to turn traitor like he had. Especially since he'd seemed to have completely revoked all of his morals after he became the Emperor's dog.

The rhythmic clicking of shoes coming down the hallway forced her attention. It wasn't the usual time for a guard to deliver meals or a shift change. So what was this?

Her heart jumped. It wasn't good. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't mean anything good for any of them. The dread in her heart was testament to that. She had a very bad feeling.

The guard stopped outside her cell, wrinkling his nose in disdain as he glared at her. "You've all been scheduled for execution. The date's a week from now." The man's expression twisted into a smug sneer. "A week from today, the Black Knights will be publicly executed. The whole world will watch you terrorists face your punishment. It'll be like this whole 'rebellion' business never happened."

Kallen heart dropped to the floor as her eyes widened. Ohgi was staring at the guard from where he was sitting on the bed. He looked just as shocked as she felt.

The guard's eyes darkened with a sick pleasure. "And just between you and me, I wouldn't count on anyone bailing you out. The only one who might've been able to save you is going to be executed with you. It's only fitting that Zero die with the rest of you dogs."

Kallen felt sick. So Zero _was_ in Britannian custody. And he was going to be killed, along with everyone else. For the first time in a long while, Kallen had a taste of terror. Her own life would be ending in a _week_. And the guard was right. The only person who could've saved them was in no position to.

The guard smirked at her expression. "I look forward to all your executions." He turned and walked down the hallway the way he'd came.

"We're going to be executed next week?" Kallen asked in a daze. It didn't feel real. She'd gotten lulled into a false sense of security, she recognized that now. She'd been naive. Foolish. Of course an execution had been coming. It'd been such a long time coming she'd started to lose the fear of it. But now that fear was back in full force. She stuffed down a hopeless sob. She wouldn't dare give the Britannians any of her tears.

"Damn them Britannian assholes!" Tamaki shouted from the next door cell, and Kallen heard what she imagined was probably his fist colliding with his mattress. "He was just waving it in our damn faces!"

"Don't get so worked up," Tohdoh replied, his calm voice breaking through Kallen's numbness more than Tamaki's anger. "It's what they want. At least face these events with dignity."

"Tohdoh's right," Ohgi said tiredly. When Kallen turned to look at him, he gave her a look that seemed just as numb as Kallen felt. "There's not exactly much we can do about this."

"This can't be it," she whispered meekly. "All we did...just to be executed? We can't have lost. There's gotta be a way out of this."

Ohgi shook his head at her. "We'd need a miracle to get out of this one," he finally murmured.

That was enough to jolt Kallen's thoughts to get in order. "Miracle..." The gears in her head were suddenly turning. Where was Lelouch? If he was to be executed with them, maybe he'd have a plan! If anyone could save them, it'd be him.

"What about Zero?" She finally spoke up, trying not to sound too hopeful. "If he's going to be executed with us, maybe he'll have formulated a way out of it!"

"He's probably going to be under even more security measures than us. I doubt they'll even let him speak." Tohdoh's words crushed any remnants of hope Kallen had started to feel. She felt a little foolish for even suggesting it.

"That traitor probably wouldn't help us anyways," Chiba spoke up tartly. "If he hadn't abandoned us in the first place, we wouldn't even be in this situation."

Kallen wilted further. No. Morale was low, and trust in Zero was all but gone. No one knew that Lelouch had disappeared during the Black Rebellion because Nunnally had been kidnapped. And from what Kallen could tell, Nunnally was Lelouch's entire _world_. No one knew that Lelouch had been effectively forced to leave the battlefield. Kallen had had a long time to mull over that night, and she'd started to sympathize more and more with Lelouch. The more she thought about it, the less she could blame him. Her whole motivation was not only for her brother Naoto, but for her mother as well. She understood the sway that family held over someone.

"We don't know, he might've had his reasons," Kallen tried, carefully testing the waters. She still hated Lelouch's guts, but...Zero still could lead them to victory.

"Like what?" snorted Chiba incredulously. "What could be so important that he'd leave during the decisive battle?"

"Enough," Tohdoh sighed sternly. "Arguing over what happened then doesn't change the fact that it did."

Ohgi gave Kallen a pitying look. "I wanted to believe in him too." He spoke quietly, his words just for her. "But no matter why he left or whether or not he's a traitor, he's no longer in a position to help us. We're all stuck in the same boat."

Kallen slumped down on her tough mattress. "I know. I just...I'm not ready for it all to be over." She felt her eyes beginning to water, and she blinked to try to disperse her tears. "...I don't want to die."

Ohgi got up and crossed over to her, sitting down next to her. He draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. "I know," he murmured, and he sounded so, so tired.

——

Across the facility, two floors down, in the subbasement level that required key cards and plenty of special permissions to access, Lelouch was housed in a squalid cell. He was alone, apparently too dangerous a convict to be housed with other people. He was always in a straight jacket, and was only ever released for the basic necessities. He knew that the Emperor (or someone similarly privy to the confidential knowledge of Geass) must've had a specific say in the security measures, because an electric collar prevented him from speaking—surely to counter his Geass. For once, Britannia had been so careful he had no way of escape.

A guard had just informed him that he was to be executed in a week's time along with the rest of the Knights, which was just great. He'd really been hoping he'd be able to weasel his way out of this one. As it stood now, things were _not_ looking up. He'd wracked his brain for solutions, but came up empty every time. His Geass was necessary to get _anywhere_ at all while he was in such a vulnerable position, and it had been very effectively barred off from him. There was no way at all he could remove the collar. If the collar only kept him from speaking due to pain, he could have at least a chance of powering through the pain for long enough to at least deliver one order, but the collar's zap was enough to make the muscles spasm and therefore, make them unusable. No matter how much pain tolerance or determination he had, his muscles would just cease to listen. There was no chance of utilizing Geass while he was collared and shackled like a dog.

With Geass effectively useless, he'd tried to think of any way to get things done without it. But that list of options was somehow even shorter than the one involving Geass. After all, any plans he'd formulated had way too many conditions to clear that, simply put, his chances of getting out of here were null and void. He was useless at physical combat, so no fighting his way out of here—this plan would also require the prerequisite of him being unrestrained, so it would have to be during the small windows of time that his binds were loosened, so there was _that_. His main strengths had been nullified—his commanding prowess was his main ace, and he couldn't even so much as cough without getting a painful zap. His only usefulness besides strategy—which required more than just himself on the board to be effective in this case—and Geass was his solid marksmanship, which _would_ be handy if he had any chance _whatsoever_ at getting ahold of a firearm (which he didn't).

...Yeah, he was royally fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say except that I'm simultaneously excited and scared to be starting my very first multi-chapter fic since the disaster that was my very first fanfic. This one will be infinitely better because I'm way better at writing now, so that's one reason for me to be excited. Another is the fact that unlike my first fanfic, I am not just loosely winging this! I actually do have a pretty comprehensive story plan, and I am going to follow it! It's so fun to write when you have everything planned out haha.
> 
> Some of my stresses are of course because I'm a bit ashamed that my only other multi-chap fic ended unfinished. I am actually rewriting it/improving it, but I don't think I'll finish it. If I do, it'll be through a second draft of the Fic, since the first one's not...very good (The characterization was dreadful lol). Another worry besides fearing I won't finish (the dreaded Writer's Block!) is the fact that this is a lengthy story I've got planned out. I don't want to devote too much to something I won't finish and get people's hopes up again, but I don't plan to do such a thing, and as of now I fully plan to finish it (and have an ending already mostly planned).
> 
> Another small source of stress is that this is an AU fic, which I don't generally dabble in. But this was such an interesting concept to me that I ran with it. I hope it doesn't seem too stupid, and that the events still feel sufficiently "Code Geass". I'm not trying to make a whole new AU with OOC characters and stuff. I'm trying to make this seem like something that could have legitimately happened, with characters that still behave like they should. To me, it's less an AU (in the sense of the fandom's meaning of it) and more of a "what if this happened instead of this". I hope it's enjoyable! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!
> 
> This chapter is shorter than I plan for most of them, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in this little intro chapter, since we gotta do setup before getting into the meat of things.
> 
> I've got a lot planned for this fic, and I hope everyone looks forward to it!


	2. The Clock Ticks Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, my knowledge of Code Geass is pretty much just the main series and rough knowledge of Akito the Exiled (which is obsolete anyways in this fic because it's acting in a canon in which those movies didn't happen). So anything that happened in remake movies and stuff won't be a thing here.
> 
> Just felt like I should clear that up haha.

There was only three more days until their execution, and Kallen was definitely getting antsy. She'd waited, and waited, but no one had suggested any plans. She'd hoped Tohdoh or Ohgi would come around, but that hadn't happened.

She slid her hand under her pillow, her hand brushing against the sharp piece of plastic she'd twisted from one of the prison utensils. This was her one weapon. She'd nabbed it yesterday, as a bit of...peace of mind. She felt better to have it than not. Until now, she'd kept quiet, tried her best not to agitate the guards and not rush her way into an execution order. But now that the order had come, she was fully prepared to throw away that meek act in favor of taking a guard or two down with her.

Sighing, she sat up in her bed (if it could really be called that), and withdrew the makeshift blade. She stared at it absently as she twirled it halfheartedly between her fingers.

She wouldn't sit here and patiently wait for death. No. She didn't care how "undignified" it was. She cared more about getting out of here alive than her reputation, considering she was going to be executed for _literal_ terrorism.

Her mind made up, she fiercely clenched down on the plastic, stalling its movement. "Guys, we should start trying to think of a plan."

She heard Ohgi sigh from his bed and sit up wearily. "Kallen, we spoke about this—" he began, but Kallen already had made her choice, and she wasn't about to let him shut her down again.

"Ohgi, I'm going to do something, whether or not the rest of you help or not." The fire in her eyes was unmistakable. They may call her stupid, but to her, this was a better alternative than allowing Britannia to execute them without putting up a fight.

"And just what are you going to do, Kallen?" Ohgi sighed, exasperated, rolling his shoulders. "What will you do with that piece of plastic, other than get yourself killed?"

"At least I'll die fighting," she countered venomously. She hated fighting with Ohgi, but sometimes his calmness annoyed her to no end. In this case, she was vehemently opposed to Ohgi's plan of "dignified compliance". "As compared to just _letting_ them kill me."

Ohgi frowned. "Kallen, there's nothing we can do."

"But maybe that's not true," Kallen countered quickly. She brandished her blade. "We've just gotta come up with a plan."

Ohgi looked like he was about to let out a huge sigh again, but Tamaki's shout cut him off. "I'm with Kallen! I ain't about to let those Britannian pigs win!"

"Thanks, Tamaki," she answered, relieved. Even if Tamaki could be annoying or loud, he was still just as much like family to her as Ohgi, so having him on her side was comforting. "Good to know _some_ body's not ready to go down without a fight." It was a bit of a low blow, but she was pretty pissed at Ohgi. Ohgi gave her a scolding look, but said nothing.

"So Tamaki," she started, refocusing her efforts from being angry to being smart. "I have a makeshift blade I managed snag from the utensils, but it's more a last resort thing. In order for it to be of any use, we gotta be in a good position. I'm thinking when they go to take us for execution. We take them by surprise."

"Those bastards won't know what hit 'em!" Tamaki agreed enthusiastically. "What's the plan?"

Kallen couldn't help herself from grinning. Tamaki's energy was infectious. She'd missed this feeling of camaraderie. "When they take us to be executed, they'll put us in straight jackets, but if we can take them out before they make us change—"

"You won't get the chance."

Kallen frowned and crossed her arms haughtily. "Oh? And why not, Tohdoh?"

"When they tell you to put on the straight jacket, there's no big opening. You put it on, and then they come back in and tighten the restraints. Your plan is too loose. It's bound to fail."

Through the wall she heard Tamaki shuffle around. "I don't see you makin' any suggestions!" he pointed out angrily.

Tohdoh took in a patient, deep breath. "If you wanted to make a plan, you should at least make sure you've planned for everything! Your plan is little more than a reactionary suicide attempt."

Reluctantly, Kallen had to admit that now her plan seemed less like a plan and more like a surefire way to get her in some serious trouble. It probably wouldn't even drag any Britannians down with her, much less get her out of her execution.

Tohdoh pushed through the silence to once more prove his point. "It's best to just let it be, Kallen. We're in no place to be attempting escape. You should see that."

"I know," she grumbled. "I just can't stand not doing anything about this." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"Don't misunderstand. If we get a chance, we're going to take it. None of us are going to let an opportunity pass us by." It sounded like he let out an amused snort. "Patience is a virtue."

Kallen understood now. They were just waiting for a chance. They weren't giving up just yet.

"You're right." She twirled the blade one more time before smoothly slipping it back under her pillow. When her head hit the pillow, she was already closing her eyes for sleep.

 _Patience_.

——

The execution was the day after tomorrow, at ten in the morning. Things were getting dangerously near.

"Your execution's looming awfully close now, isn't it?"

Lelouch turned, downright murderously, toward whoever had startled him out of his thoughts. He didn't like being snuck up on, especially now, with him being so high-strung.

The man who had interrupted him was of a strong build, not quite muscular but not unfit. He wore a pristine white lab coat with a rumpled dark gray button-up under it. Half-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, concealing gleaming periwinkle-blue eyes. His shortish warm-gray hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and the bags under his eyes and stubble on his chin gave the impression that this man didn't sleep much. Despite that, his gaze was sharp, and definitely studious. All of this was enough to put Lelouch instantly on edge. This person had the look of someone cunning, someone that often slipped by under the radar.

Not Lelouch's. Every bone in his body was telling him that this man was trouble.

"Ooh, what a scary glare," the man purred teasingly. "I must say, those purple eyes are quite piercing. That stare must be really quite intimidating to most people."

He kicked off from where he'd been leaning against the wall adjacent to his cell. "Sadly, I'm not most people. Nice try, though."

Lelouch continued to do the only thing he could do in this state, which was stare daggers at him. His frosty glare conveyed just how pissed he was to be in this situation, and how much he really wanted this stranger to just go away.

Much to Lelouch's surprise, the man laughed. The unknown pushed up his glasses with a finger as his chuckles died down. "I like your spunk, boy. I'm sure some of that confidence is in part due to that 'power' you have."

Lelouch felt his blood go cold. _'Power'? Geass? No, impossible. This man has no way of knowing about Geass. Surely he's talking about political power? Me being Zero? If he's here, then he probably knows who I am..._

"That look on your face... Are you wondering if I'm talking about what you think I'm talking about?" The man grinned, twisting on his heel and raising his hands in a shrug. "Because the answer his 'yes'."

_Bluffing. Surely he can't actually know? If he does...how is it possible? Could it be... A researcher of the Order?_

The man pulled out what looked to be a key card, twiddling it between his fingers. He glanced up at Lelouch, and he got a glimpse of ice-cold eyes. "Now you're probably thinking: 'how does he know?'. And because I'm feeling nice, I'll tell you.

"The files on you seemed awfully suspicious. Your holding conditions were a touch... _excessive_. Not to mention, your alter-ego has had many...extraordinary events occur around him. An interview with Viletta Nu also proved to be _very_ fruitful, before she became an amnesiac.

"But the way I got my _confirmation_ ," he continued with a knowing grin, "was through this little device." He tapped his glasses. "The lens has a built-in little technology that lets me see Geass. Almost like a filter over the world that reveals what's hidden." He gestured with a hand, the card pinned between his forefinger and middle finger. "I've studied Geass extensively. All evidence pointed to it being a visible power, just one that required a...bit of a 'new perspective' to view. Lo and behold, my theories bore fruit."

Lelouch desperately wanted to grill him on all the questions floating through his mind, but the damned collar kept him frustratingly mute. This man was a new player to take into account, and a dangerous one at that. Somehow he'd gotten in here, and he'd seemingly gotten knowledge about his Geass so easily. He needed to take this chance to get information on this man _now_ , but...

"Now, enough chitchat." The door clicked open, and Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise. The man raised the key card and wiggled it slyly. "Security's not too tough if you know which strings to pull. I've been breaking into high-security compounds for quite a while. Believe me, I've covered _all_ the bases. There will be no evidence I was ever here."

Noting his shocked expression, the man raised an eyebrow. "Surely you didn't think I came here just to talk?" He locked the door behind him with the card. Turning back, Lelouch warily watched as the stranger put a hand into his coat, rummaging around. "No, I'm afraid I'm here on _business_." When he withdrew his hand, he had a pocket knife; a scalpel; and a smooth, curved piece of metal.

Immediately Lelouch's heart jumped into his chest. _What does he plan to—?_

The man approached, seeming ten times more menacing than before. "Sorry," he murmured, and it sounded almost genuine. "I wasn't lying when I said your eyes were quite striking. It's a real pity that it has to be you."

It was then that the man's intent hit him. _He's going to—?!_ Lelouch pushed his way away from the man as best he could, struggling his arms and legs, but none of them budged. Frantically he glanced back at the man. There really was no escape from this...!

As the man loomed over him, Lelouch felt terror grip him. "Don't struggle," the man advised calmly. "I'd rather this surgery didn't prove to be fatal for you." The pocket knife clicked as he unsheathed it. "It's nothing personal."

It was all Lelouch could do to hold back his screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyy this chapter is done! This is actually the second version of this chapter. I finished the first one and realized I actually kinda hated it. So I reworked it today, and it came out almost perfect this time! I'm much happier with it, and the word count's way longer. Still a bit on the shorter end, but the next one's gonna be kinda massive by comparison so I'm not feeling too bad.
> 
> This is the last setup chapter necessary before we get more into the meat of the story. I hope I can do it justice, and that it turns out how I imagined it. The next chapter I've been looking forward to!
> 
> Now some real notes: This story does have OC's, which I usually don't do but it's necessary for the story so... *shrugs* I hope they're not bad or annoying or anything. They're necessary narratively, and I've tried to make them make sense and integrate seamlessly into the story.
> 
> I thought it'd be interesting to build on my little headcanon that Geass is technically visible, just sort of invisible to most people (basically it's almost on a different plane. Almost like 3D glasses make a gross movie go from being bleh to 3D.). So yeah, the scientist is basically seeing the "Geass plane" as well as the normal human vision plane. (Almost like how some animals can see UV light, etc.). To me this headcanon explains logically why people who are involved with Geass (such as Lelouch and C.C. and Mao and the Emperor) can actually see when people have Geass, while other people (normal people) cannot.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Execution Looms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone so much for leaving kudos, comments, and bookmarking this! I rarely post any of my fanfics because I worry if they're any good, so I'm so glad and relieved that people seem to like this!

"Wake up!" A pounding on the wall accentuated the harsh shout. Kallen wanted to smother herself with a pillow. Instead, she slowly dragged her head up and glared at the guard outside. She noted the two straight jackets waiting for them on the cell floor.

"Put those on," the guard demanded, his tone no-nonsense. "Someone will be here to collect you all in fifteen minutes to transfer you to a holding cell. Be ready by then." There was an unspoken 'or else' at the end of that sentence. Briefly Kallen considered being difficult just for the sake of being disobedient, but she knew ultimately it wouldn't get anything productive done, so she decided against it.

She and Ohgi took turns hiding in the bathroom stall to change. When her time arrived, she slipped into the stall, sliding out of the prison garb. They'd left a simple white undershirt and shorts, which she put on first. She then stuck her feet into the legs of the straight jacket, wondering if she was really doing this. Tugging it up to her torso, she put each arm through and zipped up the back. The straps on it hung loosely where her arms and legs would have been bound. She wasn't looking forward to that part.

A few minutes after she and Ohgi were fully changed, the guard returned, along with two more. One by one, they unlocked the cells and bound each prisoner's arms in place. When they reached her and Ohgi's cell, she again considered lashing out, but decided against it.

"Turn around." The officer's commanding tone tempted her to mouth off, but she grit her teeth and followed orders. Roughly, he jerked her arms into place and strapped them in. It was uncomfortable to her that she'd lost her mobility.

But...she'd not been ready to give in yet. She'd slipped her makeshift blade into the arm of the straight jacket when she'd changed, and he hadn't found it due to the large, concealing sleeves. Now it was safely tucked in her palm, awaiting her next move. She clung onto the weapon like her life depended on it, because honestly, maybe it did.

She didn't tell Ohgi or anyone else she'd taken it. Not yet. Though she had started to concoct the idea of a plan when the guard had said they were being taken to a holding cell.

 _Cell_. Singular. Meaning they would all be together. The chance of a successful escape was much higher together. If this blade would get them in a position to fight back...

The last two of the captured Knights were released from their cells and bound up. "Single file," a guard deadpanned. "Don't try anything funny." As if to emphasize, the guards placed a hand on their pistols at their hips. Kallen resisted the urge to snort. As if any of them would fight armed soldiers while in _this_ state.

Senba was at the front of the line, following the leading soldier. The other two guards followed behind them. Certainly they were watching all of their movements like a hawk.

The went down bland hallway after bland hallway. Kallen tried to remember the turns they took, but it was all too monotone. Nothing stood out, no landmarks at all. Whatever. She doubted knowing how to get back to their old cells would be any use anyway.

Eventually, they were led to an empty cell with a glass wall-door instead of the usual cell door. It was a simple, unadorned room, with white walls and a dark gray floor.

One of the guards walked up and swiped a key card on a locking mechanism, quickly tapping in a pin. The glass slid apart, allowing them entry. "Inside." The lead guard jerked his hand toward the door, motioning them to go. One by one, they quietly filed in. Once Tamaki (the last in line) had entered the cell, the guard slid the card again and the glass clicked shut, the door so precise that there was nearly no seam to indicate that the glass was even functioning doubly as an entrance.

One of the guards turned toward them, glaring disdainfully at them. "Your execution is tomorrow morning. You'll spend all of the rest of today here. It's about noon now." He smirked coldly. "You should spend your last hours lamenting your mistakes." With that, the trio turned on their heels and walked away.

The second their footsteps were no longer heard, Kallen turned to the rest of them. "I have the blade tucked in my palm. I'm going to try to cut my hands free," she whispered quickly. She saw Ohgi's eyes widen in realization. "Then I could free all of you. Together, we might be able to take them by surprise."

To her surprise, Tohdoh actually seemed to approve. "If we could manage to all get loose without tipping them off, when they open the cell to retrieve us we could spring an ambush." He nodded quietly. "That could work."

"It's better odds than anything yet," Asahina agreed, shaking his hair out of his face. "I think it's definitely worth a shot. At least it doesn't seem _completely_ suicidal." He gave a quirked smile. "I'd like to go down fighting Britannia together."

Kallen nodded resolutely, tightening her grip on the blade. "Together."

This was all riding on her. No matter how many hours she had to worry away at the straps with their barely sharpened piece of plastic, she would get free.

Vigorously, she began to saw.

——

"What the _hell_ happened?" an upper echelon officer demanded to one of the guards.

The flustered soldier scrambled to respond. "I-I don't know, sir, I just found him like this!"

"How do you just 'find him like that', hm?" The officer's tone was deadly, all cold fury. "What about the cameras?"

The soldier swallowed nervously. His gaze flicked to the monitors he was constantly keeping tabs on. "T-Tampered with, sir. None of them showed any visitors."

The officer's eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment it seemed that he'd strike the soldier. But after a moment, he muttered, "Don't let this slip-up get out. It's a major security breach. If knowledge of this is leaked, we'd be in huge trouble. _Understand_?"

"Perfectly, sir!" the guard squeaked, trembling.

The man flicked his gaze to the prisoner on the camera. "Tell the guards to get him ready for transfer."

The soldier saluted as the officer stalked away. "Sir!"

He was unable to keep some of the relief out of his voice as he radioed the guards to prepare the prisoner.

——

Kallen had had around an hour to work at the binds—and she _had_ made _some_ progress, she was sure—when footsteps echoed down their hallway again. Everyone in the cell perked up. The holding room was in a secluded wing; people didn't just 'come through'. This was something important.

 _A prisoner transfer_. Kallen's heart nearly stopped as she realized. It could only be one person...

Two guards entered their vision from the left, dragging with them a boy with stark black hair and piercing purple eyes. He locked eyes with her and it felt like for a moment the world slowed.

 _No_ , Kallen amended with a confused realization. _Eye_. His left eye was bandaged with a square of taped-down medical gauze—for what reason she had no real idea.

The world went back to normal speed as the glass doors slid open and one guard kicked Lelouch forward, slamming him to his knees in the cell. She saw Lelouch's gaze flash with rage before it vanished behind layers of calm. The guard regarded him derisively before closing the sliding glass entrance and walking away. Not a word was said the whole time.

The silence was deafening.

As Kallen panned her gaze across all the Knights, she saw mixed signals. Tamaki looked confused as all hell and maybe even slightly annoyed. He probably thought they were being toyed with. Tohdoh was quietly surprised, the only tip-off being a subtle raising of his eyebrows. Ohgi looked wary and confused. All of the Knights were staring at the boy.

The tension wasn't lessened any as Lelouch glanced at them all before withdrawing into an unoccupied corner.

For a moment Kallen wondered about his unusual silence, but that was before she saw the shock collar around his neck. He wasn't being allowed to speak. She'd seen it before, briefly, when Kururugi was to be publicly executed. She'd assumed they'd have them as well when they were paraded out on the execution ground.

But it seemed Lelouch's had been a permanent adornment throughout his time in Britannian custody.

She felt...really bad right now, actually. She'd thought when she saw Lelouch she'd chew him out or shout at him for lying to her, or demand an explanation for his actions. She hadn't imagined herself feeling _sorry_ for him.

But looking at him huddled in the corner, looking pained and powerless and completely mute, she felt nothing but guilt. She'd thought _her_ conditions were unlivable and inhumane. Meanwhile, he'd been restrained and unable to do something so basic as speak. It felt like her life had been rather luxurious in comparison.

"Lelouch..." she began, trailing off. Sure, she was still angry at him, but it was hard to act on it when he was clearly in such a pathetic state. What was there to say? 'Sorry that you're in that position'? 'That seems like it really sucks'? What did one say when finally getting to talk to the person you'd previously thought was just an uppity schoolmate but was _actually_ the rebel leader you'd _adored_?

He narrowed his eye at her, but the look lost the menace when he winced in pain.

"Sorry, am I gonna have to be the first to ask who the _hell_ this kid is?" Tamaki injected through the silence.

"Zero." Ohgi's voice was quiet, but no less crisp and clear. It was nearly positive in its conviction.

Tamaki glowered and kicked out his feet, curling his lip. "You've gotta be shittin' me. This guy's not Zero. He's just a _kid_!"

"It's true." Kallen decided to break in on the conversation. They were bound to know anyway, and the evidence already was rather damning. Might as well affirm it now.

Tamaki gave her a pointed look. "How exactly do _you_ know?"

Kallen sighed and flopped against the wall, sitting criss-cross. "I learned his identity during the Black Rebellion. His name's Lelouch Lamperouge." This time Lelouch didn't glare at her, instead just staring—almost impassively. It was rather unnerving. She knew that Lelouch or not, he was still a genius strategist. She didn't like that she had no way of knowing what he was thinking.

Chiba's face twisted into a scowl. "And you didn't tell any one of us?"

Kallen refused to back down, even through the guilt at keeping secrets from them when they'd consistently wanted to know Zero's identity. "I wanted to get a chance to hopefully talk with him one on one first," she countered, deflecting Chiba as best she could. "We didn't really get the chance to during the Black Rebellion. Circumstances weren't exactly _great_." She'd tried to tone down the sass a little bit. An argument wasn't what they needed right now.

Chiba huffed angrily, and Kallen got the feeling she would've crossed her arms if they hadn't been restrained. "We had a right to know just as much as you did."

Biting down her first instinct of retaliation, she tried a more diplomatic approach. "I'm not saying you didn't. I'm saying that I respected his choice to stay anonymous."

She saw Lelouch glance at her sharply. His careful gaze seemed a little bit surprised. Apparently he hadn't really expected her to side with him. A small part of her liked the fact that he hadn't been able to correctly assume her actions.

 _See? People aren't so predictable_.

"I see," Tohdoh murmured, silencing Kallen and Chiba's squabble. "You kept your identity secret because of the loss of respect. And not only would you have difficulty garnering support if they knew you were so young, you also would be put in danger from the government." He narrowed his eyes. "Since, judging by your name, you aren't Japanese. Unless you're a half like Kouzuki."

"No, he's full-blooded," Kallen revealed. Again, she saw no need to keep this information hidden. There was no real benefit in lying. "He was in my class. It's how I know him."

"Not only a kid, but a _Britannian_ kid!" Tamaki exclaimed, simultaneously bewildered and angry. "How could I have called Zero my best pal?"

A flicker of movement from Lelouch again. When she glanced over, she swore she caught the tail-end glimpse of an eye roll.

But again the movement was punctuated with a cringe. Clearly, the gauze was for some sort of eye wound. Whatever it was, it must've been pretty painful. Lelouch didn't seem like the type to willingly show weakness.

Asahina stared at Lelouch carefully from behind his glasses. "Perhaps this is a conversation better had when it can be a real _discussion_ rather than a one-sided debate. Should we be able to make it out of here, I mean."

A minuscule nod from Lelouch. It seemed to be the only cue that he was well and truly listening. It was the only real response he'd given.

Begrudgingly, the room relented, a chorus of mumbled agreements echoing from each member. The tension had barely been lessened though, even after discussion. The reveal seemed to have only made things more tense.

"Later we'll get answers," Kallen murmured, and in her mind she was making a promise to them. A promise to escape, and a promise to explain.

Now there was even more motive for her to get out alive. There were still so many unanswered questions. What was Geass? What was Lelouch's true motivation? Was he truly to be trusted? Did he care for their cause or not? Why did he become Zero?

She glanced back at Lelouch. This time, he wasn't staring back. He had his eye closed as he leaned against the wall. Whether he was trying to sleep or just trapped in his own head, she wasn't sure.

No matter what, she'd make sure they all got out of it in time to ask all the questions that were burning holes through their brains.

Again, she gripped the blade and resumed slicing through the straps.

Little by little, the leather gave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so I know I said this one would be way longer but as I wrote I realized it would work better split in half so I chunked it up. This chapter is the first half of their escape sequence. The next chapter will probably actually be pretty big tho. Like for realsies.
> 
> Pretty pleased with this chapter. Could probably be better, but it rolled off the brain fast enough that I don't feel the need to change it. The motivation was there, so I took it and ran with it. This was all written in one session. Feels good to knock it out all in one.
> 
> Now for any notes about the actual content. So this is the reveal of Lelouch's stolen eye. RIP my boy. He still can't talk, and he won't be able to for quite a few more chapters haha. I don't like him being mute either 'cause he's so fun to write, but plot is plot. We'll get some of his perspective next chapter to make up for it though. Hearing his thoughts is the best I can do to get in Adequate Amounts of my Dearest Boy. I still need to get into his psyche and stuff about the eye thing because _hoooo man_ he did NOT get outta _that_ one without some trauma. He is definitely suffering psychologically.
> 
> I'm excited at my own progress. These are chapters I'm rather happy with, and at a decent rate (for me lol). Things are going on schedule and are following my mental fanfic's path nearly perfectly. 
> 
> Though I suppose I should definitely warn that I do tend to have a rather slow pace with writing, usually writing in quick chunks and going into dry spells of no motivation, which is why chapters will come slowly. I'm keeping a small cushion of a few chapters so I can have stuff to post but still keeping some buffer room in case I hit a dry spell. I have a few chapters stockpiled so I have some time to write the next ones and don't go missing for a really long time haha. I'm hoping the buffer chapters will help keep a more regular update schedule of _at least_ one chapter a month, more if I get a huge chunk of motivation. I hope this will keep me from falling into a pitfall of having no new content. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed and I continue to intrigue you!


	4. Out of the Frying Pan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who've left kudos, bookmarks, and comments especially! I love audience interaction and love to hear your thoughts and reactions to the story! If you have any questions as well, I'll do my best to answer them.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." A smiling voice brought him to attention.

Slowly, Lelouch opened his eyes, squinting at the glaring white light above him. He was lying down, facing up at the light and a plain gray ceiling above that. Lying down on some sort of table. It was cold—so cold that it had to be made of metal.

He went to move his hand to push himself up into a sitting position, but he found that he was bound to the table at the wrist. A lance of panic immediately striking him, Lelouch wiggled all of his limbs, confirming what he already knew was true. He was strapped down to a medical operating table.

He turned his head toward where the voice had come from. The unnamed scientist was standing to the left, looking over a metal rolling table covered with medical tools.

The man glanced up at him, blue eyes devoid of warmth. "Ah, there you are. I thought you'd like to know that we're going to be starting the procedure."

"What?" he managed to croak out before being wracked by coughs. Speaking was oddly painful. He was beginning to wonder if he should just stay quiet.

"The procedure," the man reiterated, daintily holding up a scalpel and larger knife. Stepping in close, he leaned over Lelouch's head, bringing down his hands and the weapons along with them.

Lelouch fought the urge to struggle and tried to stifle the terror he was feeling. His gaze darted all around, looking for an out.

"Don't worry, and don't move." The man gave him a warning look, somehow through his smile. "I can use the neck strap if you prove to be difficult."

Lelouch gulped and sucked in a breath as he looked up at the man with wide eyes. He felt like a cornered animal. Softly, he shook his head. What choice did he have?

"Lovely," the man purred, pleased with his choice. "I knew you'd understand." The knife glinted in the apathetic light as it moved toward his eye. "Now, keep still."

Slowly, the blade carved into his eye.

 

Lelouch awoke with a strangled cry. It transitioned into a whimper as the collar gave him a painful reprimanding shock for making noise. Reining in his immediate instinct to speak out in pain, he zipped his lips, huddling further in the corner. Distantly, he noted that he was shaking like a leaf and his breaths were shallow.

_Nightmares? **Really?**_

Okay, so it was beginning to seem that, psychologically, he'd been slightly more shaken by that whole experience than he'd previously thought.

 _Get a grip_ , he scolded himself. _Now's not the time to start having nightmares like some sort of child._

No. Now was the time of plots. Kallen seemed to have a plan, he'd seen her a few times working away discreetly at _something_. Now was not the time to be overreacting. Now was the time to be laser-focused. As a group, they could make it out of this compound alive.

 _But your Geass is gone_ , one small piece of him pointed out. _What will happen once we escape?_

Curling up, Lelouch pushed those thoughts away. Later, later, later. It was time to focus solely on the now.

And right now, he was certain there was a plot in motion. In the morning he'd try to catch Kallen's eye and hope she'd explain.

Yes. Right now, escaping was the _only_ thing of importance.

——

Lelouch had slept fitfully. In all honesty, it had been more a series of dozes than a true rest. Every time he closed his eyes— _Eye_ , he corrected bitterly—he saw flashes of blades and felt the phantom cold touch of a knife against skin, the ghosts of a biting pain. It was slightly haunting.

He awoke from one of these dozes to the surprise of the facility's lights being on. So the night had passed. Execution time was close.

He caught movement from the corner of his eye. It was Kallen, slipping along the wall toward him. He gave a her a questioning look, but said nothing.

She reached him and put her back to the wall. They were so close they were touching (way more than Lelouch was really comfortable with, especially right now). After a moment of giving her his best 'I'm confused' look, he felt hands behind his back, worrying at the straps.

Realization struck him. She'd gotten free somehow. And that meant she could subsequently free everyone else. He wiggled his arms and felt the straps still attached, but loose in the way that when he pulled, they'd come free.

 _Clever clever, Kallen. You still have yet to ever disappoint me._ He shot her what he hoped was an understanding look. He flicked his gaze over toward the rest of the Knights.

"I'm getting them next," she hissed quietly. "When we're released, we take them by surprise. When I wake everyone up we can come up with a more detailed plan."

Lelouch nodded. It was frustrating to be unable to personally advise anything, but Tohdoh's presence would ensure that the plan was a sound one. For the time being, he was stuck as a follower.

Kallen made the rounds, almost agonizingly carefully. He understood it was to make things less obvious to the cameras, but it made it no less painfully slow for him to watch. One by one she freed each person's restraints, loosening them enough for them be able to easily tug free. Once everyone was free—and also awake, since she'd had to wake everyone up—she went over to him again, sitting down a more respectful distance away from him this time. He was slightly grateful of her company. He knew he'd been broody and unsociable, but even so, it helped his mood to have someone by him.

Kallen passed her serious gaze over the room. "Has everyone been done?"

Affirming nods all around.

Kallen sighed with relief and relaxed a little. "I was up almost all night sawing through those straps. I was almost thinking I wouldn't make it in time."

Senba grinned, his wrinkled face folding more with the gesture. "Glad you did, Kouzuki." The Holy Sword nodded toward Tohdoh respectfully. "Now we can come up with a real plan."

Tohdoh sat calm and cross-legged along the left wall of the cell. His eyes were closed, deep in thought. When he opened them, they were solid and determined, a pillar of strength. "We need to incapacitate the guards and find our way to a garrison or storage room so that we can get our hands on some weapons. The hope is that we can find where the prisoner's personal effects are stored so that we all can get back any confiscated items."

So far the plan was looking slightly shaky, but it was as viable as they were going to get. Finding their effects was going to be difficult. If they could though, they would also most likely be able to arm themselves with any weapons that had been seized when they'd been arrested and incarcerated.

"We'll establish a signal for the ambush," Tohdoh continued. "Someone at the very end of the line will play decoy, and create a distraction or disturbance. Then those of us at the front of the line can incapacitate the guard there and take his weapon. If we move quickly, we can take down the other guards before they can get their guns out.

"We also are going to have to play it by ear a little bit. Depending on how many guards act as our escort, we will have to adjust accordingly. There's no real way of knowing ahead of time, so we need to prepare for any situation..."

Tohdoh kept speaking, but Lelouch was busy thinking. He knew there'd most likely be three guards. Two at the front—where he knew they'd inevitably put him—and one at the back. He'd get the most focus because of who he was. He could create the disturbance at the front, because he'd invariably get their attention due to his identity, leaving those at the back to take out that guard. Not to mention the fact that he was the safest bet for being the distraction due to the fact that it was highly unlikely he'd be killed for causing a ruckus purely due to his importance. His capture was Britannia's crowning achievement in Area Eleven. If _he_ wasn't publicly executed, they'd be in big trouble indeed. He was the centerpiece, so to speak.

He nudged Kallen to get her attention. She broke out of watching Tohdoh intently and instead turned her focus on him. "Hm?" she intoned casually, before seeming to remember who it was that was sitting beside her. Her blue eyes sharpened. "What is it?"

This was going to be hard, but he was determined to get the message across. He didn't know how good she was at lip-reading, but he tried his best. He mouthed the words ' _three guards_ ', careful to not whisper any of them.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? 'Three guards'?"

Oh, _thank God_ , she'd gotten it quickly. Vigorously, he nodded.

"Are you saying there's gonna be three guards?" She blinked at him curiously.

Again he nodded. _Now how to tell her their positions..._

He tried to mouth the words again, this time saying 'two front, one back'. Each word he went slowly, trying to show the enunciations clearly. He was _not_ up for some kind of twisted game of charades.

She seemed like she was picking apart the words for a moment, making sure they made sense. Lelouch was acutely aware of everyone's gazes on him while she was silent.

"Two in the front, and one in the back...?" Kallen tried slowly, her words tentative.

Again thankful that she picked up on stuff quickly, he nodded.

"How do you—"

She stopped dead in her tracks as a door opened at the end of the hall, the sound of two pairs of crisp footsteps echoing toward them from the right. They all waited with slightly bated breath for the people to come into view.

When they did, Lelouch had a feeling they were they for him. He was confident they'd be escorted to their execution with three guards. No, these two wanted something, and he had a sinking feeling he knew what.

Through the fabric, he grabbed at the straps that were supposed to be much tighter around his arms and pulled them taut. They were bunched up in his palms, and he made carefully sure that he had the gathered straps facing his back, so that it was hidden between his arms and back.

Unsurprisingly, one guard went to the key card panel, while the other one actually leveled a rifle warningly. The glass slid open after a brief moment, and the guard armed with just the pistol entered the cell. The rifled guard hovered threateningly outside.

"You." The guard stared straight at him and cocked his pointer finger. "Come with us."

Obediently, Lelouch rose up, careful to keep the arm straps falsely tight. He walked outside of the cell without much provocation. Better not give the guards a reason to manhandle him. The less they came in contact with him, the less likely they'd notice that he was actually nearly unrestrained.

He cursed his lack of physical prowess. If he'd been at all a fighter, now would've been a prime time to stage an escape. But he wasn't, and that soldier still had a rifle.

The key card soldier closed the glass, and the other glared balefully at the Knights. Then he relaxed his weapon, stepping into place behind Lelouch as the other guard stepped in front. Silently, Lelouch followed where they led. He noted the turns they took. It could come in handy.

Eventually they came to a room, and Lelouch nearly snorted in amusement. The place he'd been taken to was a double door. A plaque to the left of it was engraved—'Confiscated Items', the lettering read.

 _Well, just my luck_ , he mused. _They've led me right to where I needed to go._ He filed away the turns they'd taken for later use.

The guard key-carded the door (there was no PIN on this one, pleasingly) and ushered Lelouch in. He and rifle guard stepped in, Lelouch taking the time to drink in the strange, almost locker-like room.

The more privy guard went to a desk, flipping through some sort of registry while muttering. Settling on a page, he ran his finger down the paper, stopping over some piece of information. After taking a moment of review, he flipped the binder shut. The man then turned and grabbed a single key from where a sea of them hung from tacks that were punched into a wall of corkboard. The guard twirled the key ring on his finger before deftly snatching it up and beginning to lead them deeper into the large room.

Rows of lockers lined the walls. They turned left, and with a different set of keys—the guard’s personal set, it seemed—bypassed a security door. There were a few lockers in here, maybe two dozen at the most. The guard ran down the locker numbers, stopping at number 223.

"Ah, here we are," the man muttered to himself. He took the single key he'd pulled off the wall and unlocked the locker. When he tugged the door open, Lelouch could see why this was a separate locker wing.

Inside was his Zero outfit, mask, pistol, and phone—all the things he'd had on him when he'd been captured. It was now clear to him that this was the small sector in which more upper clearance, top-secret prisoners' effects were held. These were the only lockers that were actually locked with a key at all. The others had appeared to all only require PINs.

The guard grabbed his outfit and mask. "Put these on," he commanded sternly. "Don't try anything funny." As if to emphasize his point, the rifle guard pressed the muzzle to his back, and the key guard slammed the locker shut, cutting off his view of his likely still-loaded pistol.

Lelouch did his best not to glare. As the stern guard rounded him, bringing his hands up to the straps on the straight jacket, he tried not to stiffen. Carefully, as the guard yanked the straps free, he fed him the slack from what Kallen had undone. Luckily, the guard was so rough with it that he didn't even notice that things were a bit more loose than they should've been.

With the straps released, Lelouch stretched out his arms with plain relief. It was painful to stretch after being stuck in one position, but at the same time blissful. He hadn't had his arms undone in a whole 24 hours. He was going to enjoy it, even for just a brief moment.

The guards looked unamused. Again he shot them a venomous stare before slipping out of the straight jacket, leaving him in a white t-shirt and shorts. Taking the outfit from the guard, he lamented that they'd destroy his pride this way. Watching him change like he was somehow going to escape if they left him for a moment to merely put on clothes in peace.

Lelouch ignored them as he put his legs through and put his arms through each sleeve, buttoning up the front. Next he did what he could with the cravat, considering the fact that the electric collar was a lovely little adornment that never came off. Once that was made up as well it could be, he pulled on his gloves and tossed his cape over his shoulders, fastening it in place.

Last of all was the mask. If they'd left it, it meant that they wanted him to wear it. Gingerly, he picked it up. It felt so beautifully familiar to him, after a year of hostility and inhumanity. He lifted it to his face and put it on, the panels sliding in place over the back of his head.

It was amazing the calm that spread over him at wearing the cape and mask again. He felt...put together, safe, controlled. He felt like he had just a touch of power back. He was not as helpless. He'd gained back a modicum of his pride and dignity.

The guard's gruff voice knocked him out of the momentary calm. "Turn around. Hands behind your back."

Lelouch hissed in displeasure, but did it anyways. He put his arms up behind his back, bent at the elbow, pressing the forearms together. The guards restrained him, strapping his arms together in that position. It was no different from the straight jacket, in that sense.

Once he was fully restrained—properly unable to move his arms again—he was led out of the confidential lockers and into the main room. The guard returned the key to his locker— _223_ , he whispered as a reminder to himself—and then left the room. Lelouch and the other guard followed close behind.

Another tedious walk and they were back in the holding cell hallway. They took the same path back, and Lelouch had taken the chance to cement the way to the lockers in his mind. When they escaped, he could lead them to their things.

They stopped in front of the cell. The Knights sat up a little straighter when they saw him. So despite knowing his identity, they still had at least the gut reaction of respect. Though it was disheartening to see the way it faded from their eyes, becoming wariness instead.

One guard opened the door and Lelouch hurriedly stepped in before he could be shoved again. The rifle guard looked a bit disappointed.

 _Bastard wanted to humiliate me again_ , he growled to himself.

Once the glass was closed behind him, the key card wielder turned to address them through the glass. "You have an hour until your execution," he said gruffly, and he was the first guard that didn't seem very eager about it.

With that, he turned and left, beckoning along the armed guard. Lelouch appreciated that there was no personal 'embellishment' this time. Just, 'here's your execution time', before leaving. It was nice.

Quietly, he went to his corner and sat down, his cape pooling around him. He stretched out his leg, one knee still crooked. His position made it clear to see that his arms had been tied up again.

Kallen stared at him for a while, her gaze conflicted. But then she relented and found where his restraints were fastened, loosening them for him. He gave her a thankful nod.

The downside of being back as Zero was that, without being able to talk and with his face hidden, he had no real way of communicating anymore. He supposed he could have her take off his mask...but that would reveal that her hands were free. No, better to just suffer through it. It'd be disastrous if they lost their one advantage of the element of surprise now.

"So he's really Zero, huh?" Ohgi remarked quietly, cutting through the silence.

"Yes," Kallen told them simply. She turned to him. "We were talking before. You said there'd be three guards. I didn't get to hear how you knew."

Lelouch seriously had to commend her. She'd done an excellent job of keeping everyone rallied together and also of keeping the heat off his back. When he could speak, he would thank her for her role during this whole fiasco.

He made the executive decision to slip an arm out of his restraints. Subtly, he dragged a line on the ground, from front to back. He pointed to the line's start, and then to himself. He pressed two fingers on either side of the start line and gestured down the hallway. He pointed at Tohdoh and pressed a finger at the end of the line. He pointed directly behind 'Tohdoh' and then again beckoned down the hallway.

"You'll be at the front of the line with two guards, and you want me at the back with the last guard?" Tohdoh frowned in thought. "Yes, it does make sense." He looked up from the plot and gave Lelouch a careful look. "Who do you intend to play decoy?"

Ah, yes, Tohdoh already was seeing his plot. The man was unquestionably very smart. He could already see that Lelouch himself intended to be the distraction. Despite this, Lelouch still pointed at his own chest a few times, just to let everyone else know what he intended.

Kallen, apparently, had _not_ caught on to his scheme. " _You_ wanna play decoy?" She shook her head. "No way! That's too risky!"

Lelouch tapped his fingers with pent-up energy. He was itching to explain, but he still couldn't.

Instead, Tohdoh cut in to reassure Kallen. "Actually, it's the smartest idea. He's the least likely to be killed for acting out. He's the highest value target out of all of us. They wouldn't waste the chance to publicly execute him by shooting him carelessly."

Lelouch nodded once smugly. If Kallen could have seen his face, she'd probably want to punch his lights out.

Tohdoh nodded agreement. "It's the most sound plan. Zero," and Lelouch was only too pleased to note the reversion to using his alter-ego's name, "you will make the distraction and act as decoy. I will be in the back to take down the last guard. When Zero starts to hassle the guards, that's everyone's cue to jump in." He scanned them over as he debriefed them. "Kallen go up front with Zero. You'll help him with the two guards. Same with Tamaki. I don't think I'll need much help. Chiba, you will be my backup."

"Yes, sir!" Chiba acknowledged with a start.

"Everyone else, jump in to help either side that needs it." Tohdoh gave them a rare smile, small and tight with tense conviction. "Let's get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I know I promised that this was the second half of the escape scene, but I...miscalculated. This was the first half, next one is the real second half. It's definitely gonna be an absolute _monster_ of a chapter as well.
> 
> On another note, this chapter is slightly early to make up for the fact that I'm leaving for a week and a half long trip on the 27th. Once I come back on the 7th, I'll be posting the escape chapter, so until then please enjoy and bear with me!


	5. All Dressed Up for a Hit and Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The anticipated escape chapter is here! I was going to wait until I’d finished writing the next buffer chapter, but I decided I was far enough finished that there’d be no harm posting it now. Thanks all for your patience!

It was a quiet hour. Lelouch spent the time pondering over the ways things could go. After they escaped the guards—presuming they _could_ , of course—he could lead them to their effects. He would grab his gun and phone, the only items that still had been withheld from his grasp. The rest of his group could also rearm themselves and get ahold of the rest of their possessions. 

But... _then what?_

How sure could they be that they'd be able to stage a real, successful escape? He hated to be so doubtful of their abilities, but he was nothing if not a pragmatic leader. Ironically, it was what had gotten him so far. 

So the hour in which everyone was buzzing with nervous energy, Lelouch was doing his best to stay calm, cool, and collected. In his corner, he honed his mind into a sharp blade. Now to shove it into the chinks in his enemy's armor.

After they freed themselves from the immediate threat—which would be the guards taking them to the execution block—they'd get their gear, and then... They'd need to find a way out. An exit route that would provide lesser resistance, a path that would require as little confrontation as possible. It would be prudent for them to slip out as unnoticed as possible into the city. Once off the prison site and into the city, things would be so much easier.

Luckily for them all, this prison did have one very, _very_ advantageous trait: this was the same prison that had housed Tohdoh before, when he'd been captured by Britannia. And so Lelouch knew of a lower level service room in the basement. Back then, he'd looked into any possible aids to their escape or methods of distraction. He hadn't actually had to use the service basement in his plans, merely because they'd had Knightmares then, and had had no need for it. Now, he was eternally grateful he'd looked over the building blueprints. Sadly, those blueprints hadn't helped when it came to knowing how the Britannians had actually laid out the rooms, so finding the location of any guards barracks or command centers or any other hubs of activity were still shots in the dark. But this slight knowledge was enough. 

It'd be difficult to make their way to the basement level. Lelouch had been housed in a sub-level two section, but when they'd dragged him into this cell, he'd been brought back to ground-level. They'd need to go down, past sub-level two and into the basement level. From there, a plan could come into fruition.

The service level was just that—a service level. It housed breakers and boilers and gas lines and piping and just about any of the stuff that would require maintenance every once in a while. Out of all of that, the thing that really captivated Lelouch's interest was, of course, the power. If they were to disable the building's power, that would hopefully give them enough time and confusion to slip out of some sort of side entrance. 

It was the soundest plan he'd managed to come up with. There was still the one glaring struggle for him, though. He couldn't communicate any of his plans to the rest of them. He'd have to trust them to listen to him, hopefully unquestioningly. If they'd been in a bit of a better situation, he would've suggested splitting up and he would go to the basement alone (or with Kallen as a more-than-effective escort), but it was much too risky as things were now. It was more inefficient, but in the end less risky, to travel together.

Next was the task of avoiding all of the surveillance measures Britannia had taken. As long as they were careful, they could easily elude the cameras. Unlike where Lelouch had previously been housed, the upper levels didn't have cameras in every hallway; the only cameras were the ones monitoring the cells. Once they were pulled out for execution, they would effectively be in every camera's blind spot. 

They'd then have a solid ten minutes or so before their absence would become suspicious. Plenty of time for them to slip carefully to the confiscated items room to grab their things with hopefully _just_ enough extra minutes to get to the stairs to the basement. As long as they could clear the stairwell without guards on their tail, they would be clear for the next phase of the plan. This of course being the power outage phase, and thusly the _actual_ escape.

Lelouch leaned back and closed his eye, biting back a wince at the lance of pain from his empty eye socket. As apathetically as possible, he stuffed down any unwanted thoughts of misery and self-pity. Now was no time to lament what had been done to him. 

...Even though sometimes he wanted to curl up in a ball from the pain. Even though half his field of vision had gone black. Even though he knew deep down that he couldn't keep running from this forever. That eventually he'd have to come to terms with the fact that he'd lost so much, so fast.

But again, right now, all of those thoughts were just _distractions_. He had too much to focus on. Namely, getting him and the rest of his subordinates out of here alive.

The door down the hall opened, and—what do you know it—three pairs of footsteps echoed down the short hall. The first condition had already been cleared.

When the guards came to a stop in front of the cell, the first thing Lelouch noticed was that they all had unslung rifles resting in their hands. Their already cold nature was amplified by the helmets covering their heads, turning them all into just another faceless Britannian menace.

One guard, in the same tedious act as all the rest, used a key card to open the cell door. The other two held their rifles loosely, but clearly still a warning not to try anything funny. 

The single guard replaced the key card in his breast pocket and turned to them. "Single file line. Don't deviate from the path, don't try anything, and just _stay quiet_." The man flicked his head in Lelouch's direction. "Zero first. Should you make a mistake or act suspicious, we won't hesitate to cut you down." 

Lelouch snorted. An obvious bluff. He had no doubt that they were under strict orders to get him to the chopping block alive. Undoubtedly they'd been told to use nonlethal force, at least against him. Did they _really_ think he'd believe they'd kill him so easily after a meticulous year of keeping him alive?

Smoothly, Lelouch rose up, taking great care to make sure his hands looked like they were bound tightly. Once he was at his full height, the cape fell over his front again, though, effectively concealing him. He stood up straight, refusing to cower under the barrels of their guns, calmly stepping out into the hallway. As predicted, the two guards each fell into perfect step on either side of him.

The soldier pointed with his gun. "Come on. Now the rest of you."

Lelouch prayed Tamaki would be able to hold his tongue for once in his life. Calling the man hot-headed was a gross understatement. If Tamaki decided to start getting mouthy, it could jeopardize the plan. Lelouch hoped he could recognize that and play obedient, just for now. He understood how hard it could be to bow one's head for Britannia, but in this case it was necessary not to cause trouble.

Pleasingly, none of the Knights did much other than some mild grumbling and groaning, which was to be expected. If they were _too_ quiet it'd be detrimental, honestly. After all, they were still rebel soldiers. Better not to be seen as suspiciously compliant.

Chiba fell into line, Tohdoh coming up right behind her in precise position. Kallen looked tense behind him, but he knew her well enough to see the determined fire in her eyes. 

As Lelouch was led down the hallway to the right, he found his own heart pounding. He'd already decided how he'd go about his 'distraction'—which was honestly much more like an ambush. And yet still he couldn't shake the jitter of nervous adrenaline in his veins. He lived for high stakes, he loved games with real consequence, but it never stopped him from feeling the sour tang of fear during a particularly risky operation. But if he could pull this off, the rush of satisfaction would be more than worth it. Nothing could top the taste of victory.

Under his cape, he slowly lowered his arms to his sides, clenching and unclenching his fingers. 

He'd go for the one on his right. Due to the missing piece of his vision, he wouldn't be able to get a view of the guard on his left without turning noticeably to face him, which was too much of an alert. As much as it made him uncomfortable that he wouldn't know what was going on on his left when he made his move, he knew targeting the right was the only option. Besides, he trusted Kallen with the other guard. He knew she would fight and die for him. In a weird way, he really would—with full confidence—place his life in her hands.

He'd briefed her already on his distraction method. _Well_...she knew she'd be targeting the left side, at least. But in this case, the few orders she had would be enough when he made his move.

Lelouch took in one more deep breath. The guard on his right rifled through his pocket for the card again for the door at the end of the hallway. As he withdrew his hand, the card loosely grasped in his fingers, moving toward the scanner, Lelouch let out the breath.

Quick as a snake, he lunged forward toward the guard while he was distracted. He placed a hand on the gun and forced the muzzle down, his other hand finding purchase wherever it could on the guard's armored uniform.

"Oi!" The guard that he was currently manhandling seemed currently so startled he wasn't fully sure what he should be fighting to do. The second passed, however, and he focused his efforts on trying to wrench Lelouch's hands off the rifle. Lelouch was not eager nor willing to give away his leverage, and luckily he wouldn't have to push and pull with this man for too much longer, judging by the sudden sounds of scuffling pandemonium. Kallen was engaged with the guard behind him, and he knew that Tohdoh was making quick work of the rear guard.

Lelouch's guard seemed to realize what had happened, and that they were grossly outnumbered. One hand left the gun and struggled to get to the radio in his pocket.

 _Hmph!_ Lelouch grinned triumphantly, the battle as good as decided now. _A more foolish decision than I'd anticipated._

With the man's strength halved, Lelouch gained enough control of the rifle to twist it and fire upon the guard, the point-blank range shredding the man's resistant armor. A bullet buried itself in the man's side, and the man gasped in pain. 

Lelouch's eye narrowed as he gained more control of the rifle, firing once more to hit through the armor. A blossom of blood on the man's abdomen affirmed the hit. 

With the man weakened and in shock from the pain, Lelouch gained full control of the gun, yanking it away from the guard, taking the sling with it. Leveling the gun, he peppered the now kneeling man with a few more bullets. Enough seemed to strike their mark that Lelouch was satisfied, lowering the weapon as he turned to see Kallen standing over an incapacitated guard, puffing. When he glanced to the right, he saw Tohdoh rip the rifle from the rear guard's limp hands, the soldier himself lying on the floor.

Lelouch turned back to the bleeding unconscious guard. Kneeling down, quickly he seized the key card, rifling through his pockets and taking a full key ring and a pistol as well. As a last bit of insurance, he removed the radio the man had been trying to reach and threw it across the hallway. It clattered and skittered to a halt a few paces away.

"Are you crazy?!" Kallen yelped stubbornly. "Just jumping in for an attack like that!" After a moment, she shook her head. "Lucky no one got shot."

"But we're free!" Tamaki responded excitedly. He stretched out his arms above his head, grinning wildly.

"Not yet," Tohdoh warned, glancing down the other side of the hallway. "We still have to get out of here alive."

They didn't have a moment to waste. The clock was officially ticking. 

Lelouch saw no point trying to convey his plans to them; he slunk down the hallway quickly, barely glancing over his shoulder long enough to wave the Knights along. The group exchanged brief glances before falling in line behind him. 

Tohdoh moved into place on his right side, Kallen taking up his left. "Zero, do you know where we're going?" 

Lelouch nodded crisply.

"Then I leave it to you." Tohdoh hefted the rifle in emphasis. "Everyone, make sure we stay under the radar. As far as the rest of this place knows, we're on schedule and headed towards our execution. Stay vigilant and try to keep as quiet as possible."

A chorus of " _right!_ "s echoed from the Knights.

Carefully Lelouch led them through the hallways, using the keycard on the security doors, his end destination of the prisoner locker room coming steadily closer. They encountered no resistance other than a duo of guards heading down one of the hallways. They dispatched them before they had the chance to raise any sort of alarm. 

When they followed the final right turn into the correct hallway, they were actually _ahead_ of schedule. Lelouch was extremely pleased--between their early arrival and the fact that he always planned for the worst, leaving a considerable buffer time in case of unforeseen difficulties, they were very comfortable on time now.

From where they entered the hallway, the door to the prisoner effects room was on the right. As Lelouch turned on his heel to face the door and prepped the key card, he heard Kallen read off the plaque with realization. From the murmurs among the Knights, they knew where he'd led them.

The door slid open with a click, and Lelouch wasted no time in heading to the registry, Kallen close on his tail. He figured that things were most likely ordered by date admitted, since it made the most sense in a slightly illogical way—as most official records commonly seemed to be organized. He flipped through to around halfway through the binder, rested his finger importantly over the dates admitted, and darted away in favor of acquiring the key to locker 223 once he was sure that Kallen had understood what he was saying. She waved Tohdoh over and together they began moving quickly, scanning the binder's pages at a rapid pace.

Lelouch hurriedly grabbed the 223 key off its tack on the wall, swiftly moving though the room and turning left into the restricted section's hallway. He used the key card on the door and entered the room filled with the top-security prisoner's effects. He quickly made his way to 223, using the key to easily pop open the locker, grabbing his phone, pistol, and extra ammo before slamming the locker shut and exiting the room as quickly as he came.

As he returned back, he found that the Knights had managed to find where they were in the registry, and Tohdoh was rattling off each person's locker number along with its PIN code. As soon as each person heard their number, they rushed off to grab their stuff, each retrieving guns and everyone except Kallen also retrieving their Black Knight outfits. Since Kallen had been caught later, she merely had inconspicuous pedestrian clothing, along with her pocket knife. Tohdoh gave her his rifle and gathered his own things, which included a pistol to take the place of his now-missing firearm.

Kallen held out what looked to be a casual-looking blue sweatshirt and some black pants. "Do we put these on? Wouldn't it be conspicuous?"

Tohdoh narrowed his eyes and loaded his pistol. "Assuming we make it out of here, we'll need to blend in to the public. We can't hope to slip away into the city if we're dressed like prisoners."

Tamaki, who was in the midst of putting on his headband, turned to Tohdoh with eyebrows raised. "These ain't exactly inconspicuous either," he pointed out.

"No, but it's better than what we've got," Ohgi said, looking around at everyone. "We should all hurry and change, and later we can worry more about getting less obvious clothes."

Tohdoh nodded. Everyone quickly began changing. Lelouch barely managed to keep himself from tapping his foot. Time was of the essence.

Once everyone had managed to change, after double-checking all around to make sure each weapon was loaded, Lelouch led them down the hallways toward the stairwell. The elevator was of course out, being as it was brimming with cameras. 

With how ahead of schedule they were, with luck they'd be able to throw the power before an alarm was raised, allowing them the element of surprise and favorable conditions. It was truly the ideal situation. (Well, no, ideal would be Lelouch being able to talk. Ideal would be he still had his Geass.) It’d be difficult for the guards to work in the darkness, and the surprise of the attack would serve to add more precious minutes to their timer.

Once they reached the stairwell door, he slipped the key card in the automated lock and gestured everyone to follow him. They all did after a few milliseconds of questioning glances. They knew he was still their best bet.

Lelouch peeked over the edge of the handrail down the stairwell. They’d need to descend down four floors to reach the basement, being as they were on the second floor. He threw a glance over his shoulder at the Knights. _Hope they’re up for some exercise_ , he thought, knowing full well it was most likely going to be him suffering the most from this. Yeah, definitely should’ve tried much harder in PE.

He took in what would probably be the largest breath he’d be getting for a while and began the trek, taking stairs two at a time in an attempt to be as quick as possible. Eight pairs of footsteps chimed in behind him without complaint.

Once they reached the basement landing, Lelouch was not too surprised to see that no key card was required for the basement door. It was obviously old and not very well managed, probably because of its out-of-the-way location and general Britannian laziness. He reached out a gloved hand and turned the metal handle, stepping into a dimly lit breaker room. A large boiler was on one side of the room, but the left side was completely devoted to the electrical system.

Lelouch didn’t stifle his grin as he pried open the panels to reveal what he was really after—the wiring. Security measures were _nothing_ if they were disabled. And backup measures were useless if they were ravaged as well.

Carefully, with the deftness of someone who’d handled many machines before—and also bombs, that definitely helped—Lelouch absolutely mutilated their backup power lines before doing the same to the main power. Immediately they were plunged into black.

He heard some of the Knights sick in a breath, but Tohdoh took charge again. “Stay calm. This darkness provides us cover for our escape. Once we make it into the main city, we’ll aim for getting underground. Stick together and _stay quiet_. Only engage if you have to.”

Everyone agreed, and if their voices quavered, no one acknowledged it.

Tohdoh slipped into the stairwell, Zero falling into step beside him. In silence they slinked up three floors, jumping at the slightest of sounds. Once they reached ground level, Lelouch pulled out the key card and swiped it into the lock, and the door relinquished with a _swish_ and _click_. The door and lock power was routed through a different path than the main power, so that if the main power was cut, the doors would not cease to function. It was the one security measure the Britannians had done right, and even then, Lelouch was using it against them. It almost made him want to smirk.

Now on the ground level—freedom was _so close!_ —they filed silently into the hallway, and Lelouch thanked their dark clothes for keeping them even more obscure. He and Tohdoh both remained in the lead of the pack, crawling around the hallways like mice in a maze. Luckily, it seemed both he and Tohdoh had been paying attention to their positioning—based on where the elevator was placed and facing, they could determine what the front of the building was. The most difficult thing was not losing their bearings in the dark, but with both of them focusing on the same task, they managed. They encountered nearly no guards until the final stretch, the door in sight, several guards as well.

Tohdoh murmured orders, his whispers so quiet Lelouch was almost awed. “We’re going to rush them. Gun them down, then out the door. We can rush the perimeter toward the city with some of us giving cover fire. Kallen, you’re good with a gun, so I think you and I can take that.”

“Got it,” Kallen said, and Lelouch wanted to commend her on how steady her voice sounded.

“On my signal,” Tohdoh commanded, and Lelouch felt an almost tangible shift in the atmosphere as the Knights prepared for the ambush. “Three. Two...” 

Wordlessly, the Knights raised their weapons in tandem, Lelouch catching the hidden rhythm and pointing his pistol at a guard’s head along with the rest, firing off a single deadly shot as the rest of them peppered the guards with a spray of gunfire. All of the guards tumbled to the ground, thoroughly neutralized, the Knights slinking toward the doorway in preparation. Each Black Knight pulled in one last shaky breath, all together sounding like one huge huff of air as they simultaneously emptied their lungs. 

And suddenly, they were running.

As they emerged into the too-bright sunlight of what would probably have been a very nice afternoon, Lelouch honestly could hardly be sure of what was happening. Every Knight moved with a hyperattentiveness that was surely a result of adrenaline and fear mixing in their veins, Kallen sharpshooting anyone who dared point a gun at them as they sprinted across the stretch of no-man’s-land between the complex and the entrance gates. A strangled cry punctuated the gunfire-laden air and Lelouch glanced back in time to see Kento stumble heavily and nearly fall, a blossoming bullet wound on his side. The rest of the Knights noticed as well, but grit their teeth through the shock and concern and kept running, each aware this was no time for sentimentality, no time for stopping and checking in. Lelouch saw Ohgi wince as a bullet barely grazed by his left shoulder, and his heart jumped in both anxiety and relief at the small wound left behind, thanking his lucky stars that it hadn’t been worse. 

The gates were looming dead ahead, beckoning the safety of the city and the public beyond. Sprint just a little farther, and they’d be among the public. The air was beginning to burn in Lelouch’s lungs, but it didn’t matter, none of it mattered, because he was only focused on the freedom ahead; his tight breaths and burning limbs were nothing in the face of this danger. They emerged out of the gates in a frenzy—a bullet whizzed off to Lelouch’s right—too close for comfort, and as they sprinted into the crowd of the fleeing general public, they’d already improved their position by leaps and bounds. 

The populace did their best to part around the Knights, and in all the bustle and confusion as the public fought and jostled and screamed as fresh guards began to exit the compound and swarm the streets; however, the Knights continued to make their escape, mostly undeterred. The innocent masses around them stayed the guards’ hands, the risk of hitting Britannian citizens too great to shoot. Despite their obvious Knight's attire, the mob surrounding them was enough to keep them in the clear enough for them make their way to the center of the crowd, Lelouch shooting several of the surrounding skyscrapers windows to help artificially accentuate the panic and herd the people toward the hidden subway entrance. Once they were close, the Knights hopped down through a sewer entrance and emptied out into the subways, entering and running along the tracks toward the ghettos, their aim one of the hidden passages along the train line, a very blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance they had kept well-hidden during the Knights’ hayday for all sorts of inner city missions that forayed into the heart of Britannian territory. 

The only sounds heard as they ran down the dim light of the dilapidated subway tracks were that of their harsh breathing and their heavy footfalls. Finally, they reached the hidden entrance to a side passage, and Tohdoh led the way, beckoning them all inside. Right now it was a perfect escape route, taking them (eventually) back into the familiar ghettos, where there were far more allies and far less guards. The subway lines had proved indispensable to not only the Black Knights, but also to other terrorist groups’ plans, its sprawling and rundown nature, as well as the fact it wasn’t included on many modern Britannian maps making it a perfect method of transportation, and one that the Britannians had consistently had trouble finding (probably because most every entrance was hidden) and navigating (loads of dead-ends and service tunnels had definitely helped with that).

However, the Knights experienced neither of these problems. Their group had been utilizing the hidden gold mine that was the discontinued subway lines for the near year that they’d been in operation, and so each Knight had at least a vague notion of the subway paths and where they led. Tohdoh, Ohgi, and—of course—Lelouch himself had the most in-depth knowledge, so they led the pack down the twisting corridors toward the ghettos. 

Tohdoh was the first to break the tense silence. “We should be in the clear. The Britannians don’t know about the subway entrances, and they especially won’t be able to navigate them.”

Tamaki, for once, sounded slightly subdued. “Where’re we gonna go? We’re the last of the Black Knights.”

Ohgi sighed. He was clutching his wounded shoulder. “I suppose we’ll have to pull some strings to get into an untraceable apartment.”

Tohdoh nodded sagely. “It shouldn’t prove too difficult. In the ghettos, I’m certain we still have allies.”

Kallen hugged herself, her arms crossed around her torso, and Lelouch wasn’t surprised she was shaken, considering Ohgi’s close call and Kento’s still-dripping side wound. Can we really count on someone helping?” She sounded doubtful.

“All we’re asking for is for someone to rent us a place off the books. It’s not a huge favor. _Some_ one will be willing.” Tohdoh answered, his tone an even cadence. “Japanese spirit isn’t broken so easily.

“We’ll need you to get us some casual, discreet clothing first,” he continued, words directed at Kallen. “Once we all can slip around unnoticed, we can find an apartment to reconvene and evaluate the situation.”

“And get some rest,” Ohgi added tiredly, a sympathetic tinge to his words. “We all have been in prison for a _year_. We could use some time to gather our thoughts and recharge.”

Again, Tohdoh nodded agreement, a little gruff but still understanding. “It would be wise to find somewhere to use as a temporary base while we investigate and get our bearings, along with settling back into old life.”

Chiba offered Kento her shoulder, which he gratefully accepted. “Not to mention some of us are injured,” she said pointedly, also giving Ohgi’s bloody shoulder a glance. “We need medical supplies above all else.” She turned her attention back to Kento, murmuring, “Here, press this against the wound,” as she passed him a strip torn off her uniform.

“I’m lucky it wasn’t a more solid hit,” Kento added weakly, a half-hearted smile tilting up the edges of his lips. Chiba just shook her head in a mix between upset and exasperation.

Kallen’s expression tightened before she sighed and acquiesced. “Of course. We should tend to the wounded above all else.”

Ohgi leveled his gaze with the ground, eyes downcast. “However, we’ll need to let the attention die down a bit first before we make any moves. It’s too risky to act now.”

“So when will it be?” Kallen pointed out, raising her voice. “We also shouldn’t risk waiting!”

Kento waved off her concerns. “I’ll be alright for a little while. The bleeding’s already started to stop.” He grinned faintly. “It looks worse than it is.”

Kallen looked like she wanted to add more, but Ohgi cut her off. “Kallen. Don’t press it.” His voice softened. “It’s safer this way for everyone.”

She bit her tongue and glanced away with dissatisfaction, but argued no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After much trial and tribulation, this chapter is finished! Admittedly, this chapter's been a real roadblock to me, and it's mostly due to it being difficult to map out believably. The other reason is that it's...a hefty boy. This chapter is bigger than the others, since I didn't want to splice it. It actually was going to be even _huger_ , buuuut then I realized that the pieces I was going to include as part of this chapter lead better as a whole new chapter. 
> 
> This chapter was not easy... I tried my best with the escape sequence to make it seem high stakes but like, still escapable? If that makes sense? I hope the escape seems good to y’all, it was really hard to write and gave me a tough time, even when I’d decided how I was gonna do it. Without Lelouch's Geass to account for plan setup it's _much_ harder to map stuff out with so little to actually work _with_.
> 
> I'll admit I was eager to finish the chap and the escape sequence so we can get to the chapters I'm looking forward to and eventually the ones where things will pick up again. I really am glad to get them outta this stupid prison and into the real world.
> 
> I enjoyed having Lelouch throw the power (spite boy), especially since one of his big traits is the fact that his favorite way to fight his enemies and gain the upper hand is to utilize the environment, usually in subversive or unexpected ways. So him surprise attacking by throwing the power seemed very appropriate.
> 
> I had a draft where Kento died, originally, but I realized I couldn’t do that to him when in canon he literally lasts til pretty much the very end, and Ohgi’s original group already has had enough canon casualties. So he lives...for now.
> 
> Kallen was originally gonna be fake-kidnapped and held hostage by Zero but in the end I realized that with the situation as I’d written it it just...didn’t really need to happen? So I cut it. I really thought I’d end up using it too, but I realized it’d be far smarter for them to use the mob to stay hidden in plain sight and to reach their goal (the subway tracks) discreetly as possible. Again, the sneaky route is the best for them, since they’re at a disadvantage.
> 
> Those darn Britannians really should put more effort into finding and blocking up those subway systems!
> 
> In the next chapter: Our unlikely heroes need medical treatment and new clothes, the awkward tensions due to the mute teenage boy in their midst continue, and perhaps they will find a place to stay that isn’t underground or prison! Tune in next time to My Children Are Still Endlessly Suffering!


	6. An Awkward Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knights have some errands to get sorted before they can make any moves. (And talking. Lots of talking.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me *desperately running*: YOU CANT CATCH _ME_ , WRITER'S BLOCK
> 
> ~~~
> 
> A nice long chapter (at least by my standards), and after less than a month has passed since the last!
> 
> Enjoy 5k words, everyone!

While in prison, Lelouch had had the thought that despite all the risks of their plan, victory would make it all worth it.

Which wasn't to say that they hadn't been victorious, or that the victory had been poor—they'd made it out with everyone _alive_ , which was priority, and with mostly nonfatal wounds.

It was just...instead of feeling triumphant or smug, he just felt...

Tired, mostly.

Once they'd about reached the edges of the ghettos, they collapsed in the subway system near one of the hidden entrances to get some rest. Lelouch had felt exhausted by this point—not that he'd ever admit that to anyone; if his knees shook as he slid into a sitting position against the wall, he'd blame it on the fading dregs of adrenaline.

But inwardly, he could admit that the relief of sitting down was overwhelming. His legs felt not unlike jello at this point, and his lungs had started to ache a while back. Not to mention how much his eye had started to throb in time with his heartbeat, a sharp lance of pain that was much more unbearable when his pain receptors weren't being dulled by the constant threat of danger. He really couldn't wait to get his hands on some painkillers.

Ohgi again took charge, Tohdoh probably seeing no need to intervene. And besides, this sort of thing was Ohgi's skill set. He was better at the relatable, comfortable leading style, while Tohdoh was more military and rough. Both were good leaders, but strong in different situations.

"We'll get some rest today and tomorrow see if we can at least get some medical supplies, food, and water." Ohgi looked at Kallen purposefully, clearly compromising for her, and she looked back gratefully. "Once you've got some though, immediately head back down here. We'll need to wait a few more days to make sure things cool off a little bit."

Tamaki slumped gloomily against the wall. "Can't believe we gotta spend time holed up underground," he muttered glumly. "The Black Knights don't deserve _this_."

Lelouch wanted to roll his eyes, but by this point had learned it was best not to, unless he wanted some pain. Tamaki was a real fool sometimes.

"Maybe not," Kallen chimed in with a huff, "but we don't really have much on our side any more. At least we're still alive."

Tohdoh nodded solemnly. "As long as we live on, we haven't lost."

Lelouch's attention fell away from their conversation as his weariness started to set in. Truly, their situation was less than ideal. _And my own is..._ He raised a hand up to the mask, over his bandaged eye, trailing it down the face plate.

Without thinking, he let out a heavy sigh. Bitterly, he noted that it was about the only thing he _could_ do that wouldn't shock him.

Whatever the case of their situation, right now he really didn't want to have to think about it. They already had a plan—one he couldn't contribute to even if he wanted to, anyway—and not much more could be done for now. Lelouch was tired, and weary, and honestly just looking forward to a long, long rest.

He was about to reach up to pull off the mask when his hands stilled, almost of their own accord. He glanced at the group. Subtly, they were watching him.

Biting back another sigh, he narrowed his eye. No. He didn't feel like bearing his face to them today. He'd already dealt with enough. He was tired, and sick of having their judging stares burning into him. His mask was his safe haven from the world, a barrier between him and them, still gifting him that safe feeling of anonymity despite the fact that they knew whose face lay behind it. And right now, he really wanted that barrier.

Instead of taking off the mask, he lowered his hands, undoing his cape and tossing it over himself like a blanket. If they didn't see that as a pointed rejection, they were blind.

Kallen frowned, but apparently chose not to engage. Something told Lelouch she was merely waiting for him to be able to speak before she started grilling him. There was no way she wasn't angry, after all.

Lelouch titled slightly away from them and closed his eyes.

And even despite the fact that they were feeling much more like enemies than friends, he still found enough calm to fall sleep.

——

His sleep was fitful and shallow. The slightest noise was enough to startle him awake, and more than once he was awakened by nightmares; once was one in which he was dragged back to the prison and left to rot in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, but the rest were all situations in which he was powerless to stop a horrid situation from happening, forced to bear witness, his words falling on deaf ears. Sometimes it was something done to someone he cared about. Sometimes it was torture done to himself. No matter what, it left him feeling cold and hopeless, for when he woke up, there was no way for him to convince himself that that wouldn't be the reality one day. Without Geass, perhaps he _would_ end up in a situation where he couldn't change anything at all. Without Geass, where did he stand in everything?

He was drawn out of his bleak thoughts by Kallen and Ohgi's murmurs. When Lelouch glanced over to them, past the rest of the slumbering Knights, he was passing Kallen some bills, probably for her to get them the necessities like they'd talked about earlier.

In the underground, it was near impossible to see the time, and he knew without checking that his phone was dead and would be no help. Already he was despising this subway system. It felt like another prison—albeit one with bigger walls and a lot less guards. Without knowing what time it was, it was difficult to say how much time had passed while he slept. He hoped that it had been enough for Kallen's expedition to be relatively low risk, all things considered.

She was dressed in her blue sweatshirt black pants combo, the hood pulled up over now combed-down hair and her headband discarded. She shoved a wad of cash into her pocket and nodded curtly at Ohgi. "I'll be back, hopefully in an hour or two."

"Be safe."

Kallen's expression softened at Ohgi's brotherly worry. "I will." With a wave, she turned and walked out into the side tunnel that led to the surface. He and Ohgi silently watched her go. To be honest, he wasn't sure Ohgi even knew he was awake at this point. The mask hid his face, and he wasn't exactly obvious about waking up.

_Perhaps I should just pretend to be asleep._

Lelouch narrowed his eye. _No. The confrontation is inevitable, no longer how long I try to draw it out. As much as I hate to lose the division between us, it's necessary. Eventually, they're going to be seeing me without the mask, and I'll get peppered with questions. No point in trying to maintain the facade._

He shuffled his hands out from under his cape-blanket—he saw Ohgi's attention sharply shift to him—and he removed his mask without any drama or fanfare. Ohgi stared, and Lelouch stared right back, giving his best impassive glare. To his relief, Ohgi stayed silent, though his eyes didn't stray far from him throughout the rest of the wait. Calmly, Lelouch set the mask down on the ground, quietly relishing the cool air on his face. Eventually, as time passed without a single word from Ohgi, Lelouch felt his muscles loosen, and after a bit, he had completely relaxed again.

"Hey." Lelouch involuntarily jumped at the sound of his voice, wiping the surprise off his face as he turned to face Ohgi, quietly chiding himself for letting his guard down. Lelouch tilted his head toward Ohgi, an indication he was listening. To be honest, he was interested in what Ohgi would have to say.

"You're a student right?" Ohgi caught himself and quickly amended his statement. "Or, _were_." Lelouch stared quietly for a moment, than gave a curt nod. Ohgi crossed his legs and leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling, looking lost. "You and Kallen are the same age."

Again, Lelouch nodded, hesitantly. Not because he was wary about giving out the information, but because he wasn't quite sure what Ohgi was getting at.

Things were silent for so long Lelouch had started to think that was the end of it, until Ohgi spoke again.

"You two are so young," he murmured, and Ohgi's tone was so wistful, so weary, that Lelouch couldn't keep the surprised reaction off his face.

Ohgi still wasn't looking at him, lost in something or another. "It sort of makes me wonder what went wrong." He continued without any prompting, quiet, a bitter musing. "What happened to have the youth off fighting in rebellions instead of living regular, happy lives.

"Kallen, she... She's old enough to make her own decisions, and I can't stop her." Ohgi smiled softly, but the pained edges were still just as sharp. "Naoto never really wanted her in the whole rebellion business. He wanted a good, normal life for her." Finally Ohgi gave him a small regard, a little glance that somehow held a surprising amount of weight. "But she's stubborn as a mule. She had the chance to fight for what she thinks is right, and of course she took it.

"And that's noble," Ohgi added, his eyes back on some point on the ceiling. And despite how clear his tone was, his eyes were stormy, filled with clouds. "But it still shouldn't be her problem to start with. It shouldn't be a choice she has to make. Risking her life in battle...should never have been in the cards for her."

When Ohgi turned back, Lelouch felt nearly crushed under his leaden gaze, yet he was transfixed, rooted to the spot. "And you shouldn't have had that choice to make either. You and Kallen... No matter what your skillsets are...no matter how you act..." He shook his head. "In the end, you're still _children_. Too young for this whole mess."

At Lelouch's apparently annoyed expression, Ohgi clarified. "That's not to say you both aren't capable. There was never any doubt of that." He sighed, and it looked like he slumped a little lower against the wall. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is this:

"You... I won't deny that you abandoned us. I won't pretend to understand your actions, either. I also won't pretend that what you did didn't have serious consequences, for all of us.

"But..." Ohgi slid down into a sit, only breaking eye contact once he was comfortably seated. "When I look at you, and Kallen, all I see are two kids with too much weight on their shoulders. I can tell the burden on you is heavy."

Ohgi sighed again. "And it really, really shouldn't be. I truly believe that. This is all not your weight to carry.

"No, this is all an inherited weight. One we—the passing generation—put on you. Our mistakes, bleeding into the youth."

Lelouch wasn't quite sure what to say. A part of him, deep inside, a piece that he usually kept locked away, twisted painfully. Usually he felt nothing but a burning anger towards his father for what he'd done to him, but now he felt a resurgence of something else, things long ago stifled by rage.

Injustice. Pain. Melancholy. Abandonment. Hurt. And all of it directed at the situation he was in.

None of it was his fault, not really. He had always been a pawn. He'd never really had a choice.

For a while, things had been different.

"But, well. Here we are." Ohgi gave Lelouch a weak smile. The realness of the expression made his insides twist a little bit more with something unrecognizable. He chuckled quietly, a little bit hollow. "I don't really know _what_ to think anymore.

"You are...an enigma, I won't lie. You're tough to read and I don't fully understand your motives." He stared at the opposing concrete wall like it held all the answers. "But I can imagine you're pretty tired of everything right now. I don't blame you for wanting to hide away, either. It's probably easier than facing us." Again that slight, unsteady reassuring smile, and with it another strange pang shot through Lelouch's heart. "And I'm sure our hostility isn't helping."

Casually, Ohgi stretched out one leg, draping his arms over his upright knee. "I don't know if everyone will eventually come around or not. But me, personally?" He shook his head listlessly. "I suppose I like to think I get you. And that's enough." He gave a half-hearted shrug that seemed more like a minuscule shoulder lift. "Nowadays, it sort of has to be."

After that, Ohgi fell quiet, not expecting response. The new silence dragged on.

Lelouch wanted to glare at him, tell him that he didn't get him at all.

Instead he turned away and curled up, quietly overflowing with voiceless thoughts.

——

It was nearly three hours later when Kallen returned. By then, all of the Knights had woken up. They'd each seemingly had their fill of gaping and glaring at him; as the hours had stretched on, their attention had shifted, growing more and more anxious for Kallen's return. When she finally did reenter the subways, her arms bogged down with bags, the release of tension was palpable.

The second her gaze fell on him, her eyes took on a taunting glint. "Well, look who decided to stop hiding," Kallen remarked haughtily, raising her eyebrows. She passed the bags to Ohgi as he rose up to meet her, extending his arms out to retrieve the stuff.

Some childishly defiant part of him wanted to turn up his nose rebelliously, but he stuffed that reaction down in favor of shooting her a mild glare. Her lips twitched up in a grin, and he forced his face smooth again—lately it felt like it'd been getting harder and harder to mask his thoughts about the situation. His usually careful composure had been fraying at the edges.

Ohgi rifled through the bags, removing a basic first aid kit and passing it to Chiba, who had come up alongside him. She grabbed it and immediately headed over to Kento, clicking it open and grabbing various medical supplies in order to tend to his wounds. "I'll work on you next," she promised Ohgi; he gave her a grateful smile and told her not to worry about him.

Next Kallen shuffled through one of the larger bags, pulling out various clothes—t-shirts and sweatshirts and nondescript pants galore in all sorts of sizes and cuts. She barely gave Lelouch a chance to prepare himself before she tossed over a plain washed-out red shirt and black slacks, a light gray hoodie firing in a moment later, nearly hitting him in the face.

_She's enjoying tormenting me_ , he noted, almost having it in himself to be slightly bemused. He untangled all the clothes and folded them neatly before setting them down on his right. He'd change later.

After she'd chucked various articles of clothing at each Knight, she started digging through a different bag, this one looking more like a regular grocery bag than a shopping bag. "I just got cheap takeout," she said to no one in particular. "It was honestly easier than anything else I could've gotten, considering we have no kitchen."

It was only as she started pulling out little cardboard boxes of what smelled to be Japanese food that Lelouch realized that he was absolutely _starving_. Which made sense, considering that it'd been, at this point, probably nearly two days since he'd eaten. A glance around at everyone's hungry eyes told him that the rest of the group felt similarly famished.

Someone passed him over a container of what looked to be teriyaki chicken over fried rice, and though it was likely just average Japanese cooking, when he caught a whiff it smelled divine.

Kallen chucked everyone a pair of cheap disposable chopsticks, and the sound of snapping wood filled the air as everyone wordlessly went to take their first bites. Lelouch silently was thanking the fact that he had learned how to use these things as a child while in the Kururugi's care. It would've been unbearably embarrassing to have fumbled with a pair of chopsticks right about now.

The first bite (that he most definitely did _not_ borderline shovel into his mouth, thank you) was downright _heavenly_. The prison food was not dissimilar to bland lumps of things barely edible, so to eat something that was so distinctly _actual food_ was a god-given gift.

They ate in silence, taking grateful sips of water from disposable plastic bottles and just generally appreciating having good food and drink. It was plain to see that everyone was thankful for the meal, how it revitalized their exhausted and worn spirits.

It was a few minutes after Lelouch had finished his meal when Kallen approached him, a smug look on her face that immediately put him on edge. He painted a neutral look on his face, keeping his emotions under a tight leash. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rest of them watching.

"I, uh, brought you something special," Kallen started with a sly tone. He raised his eyebrow at her, and she grinned a little wider as she reached into one of her bags, pulling out what looked like a notebook. She held it out to him, that grin never dulling. "A gift."

He took it with no complaint. There was a pen tucked into the spine.

"I figured that...well, since you can't talk, I should find a way for us to communicate," she added, crossing her arms and shrugging.

He flipped it open and clicked the pen. 'Thanks', he wrote simply, turning it around to face her.

If he'd spoken the word, she would've surely caught his intended sarcasm, but as it was, she merely took the word at face value, snorting a bit and shifting her arms. "Well, it's not just for you. This is also so that we can get some explanation from you."

Lelouch let out a low sigh. Of course, he'd expected that. He could only escape confrontation for so long. 'I know,' he penned, somehow imbuing his weariness into his words. He gave her a long resigned look. 'Fire away.'

"What'd you ditch us for?!" Tamaki cut in, nearly in a wail, and the room fell silent. Though he didn't specify what he meant, everyone knew.

Lelouch flipped the notebook around to jot down his answer. When he turned it toward them, it held just one word. 'Irrelevant.'

Tamaki gaped openly at his answer, jaw working up in down, seemingly taken aback so much he couldn't formulate a response.

When words finally found someone's—Chiba's, this time—mouth, the fury in them was undeniable. "What do you mean 'irrelevant'?!" she exclaimed, gasping in anger. "We lost everything because of you! What you did caused us to lose the war!"

He scribbled a response and fixed them with an impassive look. 'What's done is done. I see no point in dwelling on the past.'

It was Tohdoh's turn for his eyes to harden, edged with steel. "While normally I might agree, this is a bit too monumental a point to just dismiss. You're the reason we nearly were executed, and it's undeniable that your abandonment is what tipped the scales in Britannia's favor. An explanation is in order, Zero. If not so we can get a reason, at least so we can have a reason to place our faith in you at all anymore."

"I won't. Not again," Chiba cut in stiffly. "We lost so much. I won't place any misguided faith anymore."

Lelouch pinched his eye shut. This wasn't desirable, but also wasn't unexpected. Out of all that was said, he responded to one thing. 'We haven't lost the war.'

"Haaah?" Tamaki drawled loudly, crossing his arms.

Kallen chimed in, frowning down at Lelouch. "If you haven't noticed, the decrepit subway system is our _home base_ , several of us are wounded, and we're probably going to be living off cheap takeout until we inevitably go broke because, point number four, _we're wanted fugitives_."

'There's always a way out.' Lelouch gave her a pointed look.

She narrowed her blue eyes. "Maybe. But this one's looking tough to get out of."

'With time, we can find a way.'

"Time isn't exactly a surefire thing for us," Kallen pointed out. "We need money for supplies and we already don't have much. We also need money for rent, assuming we want to get out of this grimy place.

'I have funds,' he raised up simply. And he did. He had his own special little account, off the records, completely foolproof, that all of his gambling money had gone into that had eventually become his own funding for the Black Knights.

Kallen raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? You get it from distant wealthy parents on the mainland?"

'It's from my 'extracurricular activities'. Before the Knights.'

The rest of the Knights seemed to startle as a laugh left Kallen's mouth. "You paid for the Black Knights...with _gambling money_?" she asked incredulously.

He shrugged. She shook her head in amazement. Everyone else seemed torn between confused and bewildered.

"See, that's what I don't get about you, Lelouch," she suddenly remarked, scoffing at him. "You're a Britannian. You have life cut out for you. So much money and free time, you gambled without a care. You breeze through life in apathy, just like all the other Britannians." She frowned suddenly, the disdain leaving her tone and fading to a vague puzzlement. "And yet, here you are. Leading a bunch of Japanese renegades against your home country." She uncrossed her arms, instead placing one hand on her hip. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...'why?'"

'I have my reasons.' The second he flipped the notebook to face them and her eyes found his most recent message, he knew she wouldn't let that pass.

"People don't lead rebellions on something so vague and empty as 'reasons'. Why do you do it?"

Lelouch pondered a moment, piecing together what he would tell, and what he would withhold. 'I don't have to be Japanese to recognize injustice,' is what he settled on jotting down onto a free line. The page was already three-quarters full from his larger, more easily legible penmanship.

Kallen's brow lowered, her sky-blue eyes less fierce now. "You acted as if you didn't care," she probed, trying to coerce more out of him. "I've seen you turn a blind eye like all the rest."

'My opinions aren't popular among Britannians, Kallen. And I myself prefer not to flaunt any sympathizing acts I might make. I don't like to draw attention to myself, which tends to require me to go with what's expected of me.' He showed them just long enough for Kallen to look like she was about to respond before quickly flipping the pad around, scribbling hastily to cut off any more conversation on that topic. 'Besides,' his notebook stated when he turned it back again, 'you knew I was Britannian before. You never seemed to have many qualms with it then.'

She huffed. "It's different, knowing you, Lelouch. I've seen what you act like. The front you put up. When you were just Zero, it was easier to imagine what his reasons might be. But knowing it's you..." She shook her head roughly. "I just can't fit all the pieces together. Your reasonings still don't make sense. I still don't understand _why_."

He gave her a hard look. 'I've already told you, I won't stand for the injustices against the Japanese people. Britannia is a cruel country with customs I refuse to follow. They deserve to be brought down, and I am determined to be the one to do it.'

Secretly, he was glad that he was writing all this. Somehow, he wasn't positive that he'd have been able to will conviction into his voice that he just didn't feel. Make no mistake, Britannia _did_ deserve to be brought to one knee, that much would always remain true, but the intensity of his words didn't match how drained he was feeling. It felt like it was getting harder and harder to put the oomph in his words that he usually would. The only benefit of being mute, he supposed.

All he really wanted right now was for the collar to come off, his eye socket to stop throbbing, the questions to stop, a nice bed. But alas, he knew most of those luxuries wouldn't be his for probably quite a while. But perhaps he could at least suggest finding an apartment now that they all had clothes and some rest. If only just to take the heat off him for a little while. Talking like this—and he hadn't even actually _spoken_ —seemed so disproportionately exhausting. It was taxing in a way it had never been before. Weaving his words in front of them had never been a chore before; not like this. Deep down, his own struggle with his bone-weariness upset him a bit. It was useless, distracting, in times like these. He needed energy, charisma, quick wit! Not to feel like he'd been dragged through the wringer after a single (admittedly more-than-vaguely-interrogation-like) conversation.

He scrawled another passage and flipped it around. 'Right now, I think it'd be prudent we leave the rest of your questions for later. We need somewhere to stay where we can gather ourselves more permanently. I'll need time in order to get this collar off.'

Ohgi, who had been quiet, chimed in. "He's right, guys. It'd be best to start moving soon on finding that apartment." He cupped his chin in thought. "The ghettos are always so disorganized, I don't think it'll be hard to find somewhere out-of-the-way, where the Britannians won't be looking for at least a while."

Quietly, Tohdoh relented, though he seemed reluctant. Lelouch knew that he probably hadn't missed the way he'd sidestepped the question about where he'd gone during the Black Rebellion. Lelouch made a mental note to expect for it to come up again sometime in the future.

Ohgi nodded, almost seeming relieved. Perhaps he'd thought Tohdoh would press it. "Great. I'll change and start searching. Kallen, you can come with me."

She grinned cheekily. "Nice to see you letting me along for a change!"

He gave her a small smile. "That's because I know by now you'll come along whether I want you to or not."

"Damn right," she asserted, putting both hands on her hips and leaning toward him.

Ohgi turned to everyone else. "While we're gone, everyone should change into their disguises and standby until Kallen and I are back."

"Roger!" everyone chorused. Except Tohdoh, who was still silent, considering something. After a moment, he simply looked up and nodded.

——

Half an hour later and Kallen and Ohgi were prowling the ghettoes, searching for the perfect nondescript, no-questions-asked apartment to rent. Ohgi had on a dark gray sweatshirt, hood pulled up, and casual jeans. His hands were in his pockets, and he walked with a practiced nonchalance, one that the Britannians never looked twice at. All of them had gotten good at it at one time or another. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if over half the population had perfected walking with their head down. They'd all learned that they needed to either adapt to their situation or be crushed under Britannia's heel.

It was as they wandered the streets, searching for a place to stay, that Ohgi decided to strike up conversation.

"What do you think about him?"

Kallen didn't stop walking. Neither did Ohgi. They just continued moving through the streets, through alleyways and along side roads.

"I have nothing but respect for Zero," she replied quietly, and she caught a glimpse of Ohgi giving her a surprised look. She smiled and shook her head, frowning. "But _Lelouch_... I think he's arrogant, apathetic, and wholly unlikeable." She gave a little laugh. "Sometimes, I was even disgusted by him. Each time I started to think he might not be like the rest, he'd prove me wrong every time." She huffed under her breath. "He'd make a fool out of me."

Ohgi seemed troubled by her words. "What about now?"

Kallen turned toward him, brow furrowed as she studied his face. "Why are you so interested in what I think? Something tells me he's still here to stay, no matter who he is or how we feel about him."

"Kallen, you knew him best. As Zero and as Lelouch. I'm just trying to understand it all." His tone was gentle, and Kallen realized she might've come off as too harsh.

She slowly let out a huge breath. "It's fine," she murmured apologetically. "I get it. It's just difficult. I've been waiting for a chance for him to give an explanation, and it's frustrating that he still isn't telling us everything."

Ohgi nodded understandingly, his dark eyes depthless. "I'm sure it's probably worse for you. Feeling betrayed by someone you thought you knew."

Kallen nodded, with some visible relief. "Yes," she confessed quietly, her words softening. "He tricked me. It hurt when I learned it was him. Even if we weren't really friends, I still _knew_ him."

Ohgi shifted his hands in his hoodie's pocket. "I never imagined I'd find myself in this situation."

At that, Kallen gave a genuine chuckle. "I don't think any of us did."

A heartbeat of silence passed, comfortable.

"I just hope we can come back from this."

Kallen glanced over at him, for once choosing to play the reassuring part. "I think we will," she remarked, turning her gaze skywards. "If there's one thing I believe, it's that we're not done fighting."

Her eyes narrowed, the crisp blue glinting like steel in the sunlight. "Not yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohgi: *talks*  
> Lelouch: "oh man do I have emotions? No that can't be right"
> 
> ~~
> 
> Lelouch is...very tired. He's keeping up appearances (mostly) to the Knights just fine, but underneath, perhaps he's having difficulty truly having heart in what he's saying...
> 
> Also, Ohgi and Lelouch's talk was based heavily on the fact that (let's not forget!) Ohgi was once a teacher. I like to imagine that he would still see Lelouch as a child because of that, and would view him with sympathy. Ohgi to me has a soft spot for kids* (*in his mind this includes someone even from the late teens to early twenties, cause Ohgi definitely feels old compared to them lol).
> 
> During the Interrogation, Lelouch spends a lot of time with vague answers, half-truths, deflections, and diversions. He's desperately working to find something to say that won't sound completely unbelievable but also won't reveal too much. Sadly, the only thing he could really say that would truly make sense is the truth, which he is adamant to keep secret.
> 
> Ohgi and Kallen having a quiet moment at the end. Sometimes the characters just sort of decide they want some more screen time, and I just let them write their own segments at that point lol. I wanted a nice interlude of them being able to talk in that sort of brother sister relationship they have.
> 
> This whole chapter was a bit of a break. As of now we're out of the violent, combat parts of this fic, at least for a little while. There will be more action later, but for now it'll be chapters a bit more like these: calm, but dramatic and tense (I can't help it, I love drama and dialogue). Not to mention there's a lot of important dialogue that the characters need to have IF ONLY THEY COULD STOP BEING PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE TO EACH OTHER *glares at Lelouch and Kallen*


	7. Call to Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry for the delay everyone! I really hope you enjoy!

The Knights filed into the apartment, crowding the small kitchen to the right of the entrance. Kento sat down at the worn wooden table, effectively claiming one of the three seats. Tamaki plopped into another, and the third remained unoccupied.

Asahina cleared his throat. "It's...small."

Kallen sighed and shrugged passively. "It's the best we could do. Somebody can sleep on the couch, another in the armchair, and there's two bedrooms that we can cram into."

Tohdoh broke in. "This is fine. Just by having an apartment at all we're doing better than before."

Chiba looked around the kitchen appraisingly. "It's not the best, but it'll do. I'm just glad we even found an apartment at all."

Ohgi nodded. "It should be off the record, and the people renting it out are loyal supporters of the resistance. They didn't ask questions." His eyes panned across the room. "I think we'll be safe here, at least for a while."

"That's good," Kento remarked. "That gives us some time to figure out what comes next." The Knights all gave Lelouch a purposeful look, and it took some effort not to shrink away under the scrutiny. Instead, he remained quiet and unaffected. 

Tohdoh took charge once again, stepping into a leadership role while Ohgi seemed unwilling. "Starting the day after tomorrow, we'll scout for information, get caught up on current events and the state of politics right now. Get an idea of public opinion best we can. We need to gather all information possible before making any moves. We'll spend as long as we need to get as much information as we can." He turned to Lelouch. "We need to find a way to get that," he gestured at the collar, "off of you. Any ideas?"

Ah, finally an easy question to answer. He turned around his notebook with his response. 'All I need is a few basic tools and I should be able to get it off with time.'

Tohdoh nodded in affirmation. "Very well. Tomorrow we'll get the necessary tools so you can begin work on that."

Chiba soured at that, eyes narrowing harshly. "And then you'll _really_ explain everything. No more hiding things from us."

Lelouch's own eye glanced off to the side as he remained quiet. He wasn't looking forward to that, but really, what choice would he have? His options were few, and they wouldn't stop pestering him, not in this situation. All he could do was hope that by the time that time came, perhaps something bigger would be demanding their attention, taking the heat off him. It was far-fetched, but not impossible. For now, he'd have to hold out hope for that.

To his Knights, his silence spoke volumes.

——

Every Knight except Tamaki, himself, and Kento were prepping, bustling around as they made sure their disguises and plans to stick to back alleys were solid. Even Tohdoh would be going out, collecting data on the front lines. There was a certain risk to it, but Lelouch had no doubt that he hadn't come so far in life by being careless, and that he had his own safety measures in place to avoid detection. 

Asahina, Chiba, and Senba were focused on data collection, with Tohdoh and Ohgi taking the more complex task of reading the more underground political winds. Kallen had the sole responsibility of picking up supplies, including basic necessities along with chargers for their long-dead phones. Kento was benched due to his injury and it didn't take long for Lelouch to realize that Tamaki was not only being left behind in order to keep him from jeopardizing the plan (his loud mouth and temper weren't great for subtlety), but also to keep watch over him. Clearly, they didn't trust him enough to leave him alone, despite the fact that he was just as wanted as the rest of them. While he didn't think that his face was plastered on wanted posters, he _did_ know that people who were privy to Zero's true identity would be on the lookout for him. That, and not to mention that if anyone at all saw the shock collar that the hoodie sometimes failed to properly conceal, they would immediately know something was wrong. All logic dictated that he'd be staying inside, and yet they still didn't trust him enough to stay put while they went info gathering. 

It was difficult to remain too bitter despite it all, mostly because he knew he'd be trapped doing nothing whether he had a babysitter or not. It could be someone keeping their eye on him or his own logic, either way, he'd be stuck in the tiny apartment, fiddling with the collar. Next time they left, though, he'd try to convince them to leave him here without a watchdog. He really wanted some privacy to go over his thoughts. Things had been so hectic, and he found himself wearing down without getting time alone to recharge his batteries.

Honestly, he'd probably lock himself in the bathroom for a little while. He needed to redress his eye again anyway and the first aid kit was in there, so it was at least a partial excuse. As everyone began to walk out the door, he started on his way over to bathroom.

Yet while everyone else had left, Tohdoh trailed behind. "I'll catch up," he explained to no one in particular, and none of them asked for more. Glancing at the table, he picked up the notebook with the pen tucked in the spine and walked strode over to the bathroom.

As Lelouch was about to walk in, he stopped and turned at the footsteps behind him to see Tohdoh. The man stared at him calmly. "Go in."

Confusion melted away to understanding. Lelouch had a feeling he may already know what this would be about. He'd been wondering if and when it would come up. 

Quietly, he stepped through the doorframe, letting Tohdoh follow him in before closing the door behind them both. He turned to Tohdoh expectantly.

"I know you're a prince," Tohdoh began quietly, with no fanfare. "I remember you from your time with the Kururugi's."

Lelouch simply nodded. At the movement, Tohdoh seemed to remember the notebook and he held it out to him. Calmly, he took it.

'I was wondering when you'd confront me.' 

Tohdoh crossed his arms, getting comfortable. "I was waiting for a time where we could be a little less conspicuous about it."

Again, Lelouch nodded. 'I have the feeling Kallen's been doing the same.'

"Perhaps," Tohdoh agreed, a little bit thoughtfully. 

Lelouch jotted on the paper. 'So? Is this confrontation a means for you to decide whether you want to tell everyone about me?'

Tohdoh frowned a little and shook his head. "No, nothing like that." His mouth turned up at the corners, just barely. "I don't think I need to. As long as you continue to benefit the Japanese, who am I to take away your means for revenge?"

Lelouch's brow furrowed. 'It isn't just about revenge. Britannia really _is_ rotten. It deserves to be taken down.'

"Of course. I can tell you really do believe that."

After a pause, Lelouch cocked his head questioningly. 'So, did you have anything you'd like me to answer?'

"Actually, all I'd like is confirmation."

'Ah. For what, then?'

"I assume that your end goal is the Emperor, correct? Judging from your vendetta against the rest of your relatives." 

Lelouch flinched slightly, the reminder of the wound of Euphy's accidental death painful. 'My end goal is the dismantling of Britannia as we know it, yes.'

Tohdoh's eyes flickered with calm, intense interest. "What do you plan for after?"

Hm. No one thus far had really seemed to think far ahead enough to ask that million-dollar-question. But then again, he doubted anyone would think he had such lofty goals in the first place. 'Ideally, this would usher in growth for the world again. Justice. Progress.'

Tohdoh frowned, eyes steely. "How will you go about this 'peace'? How can you be sure you won't be creating more conflict?"

Lelouch let out a slow breath. 'I can't, really. It wouldn't be my intent, but sometimes people are difficult to unify.' Truthfully, Lelouch didn't have a real plan for the world. His main focus was getting the world into a state fit for his sister. He'd thought about the consequences his actions would have globally, and they weren't great. The most he could hope would be that he could form an alliance of nations to attempt to stabilize the remaining pieces of the Britannian Empire. But inevitably some countries would be thrust into civil war or even anarchy. As much as he hated Britannia and all it stood for, he had to admit that its method of ruling was fairly effective at holding everything together. 

Tohdoh nodded slowly. "It's tricky."

Lelouch scrawled out an answer. 'I ensure that I'd do my best to avoid that.'

Tohdoh's eyes narrowed, and he was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure." He glanced at the door, gaze stoic as ever. Finally, he turned back, nodded acknowledgement, and left.

Lelouch breathed out. So that was that.

——

Kento was sleeping on the couch and Tamaki was sitting at the table basically twiddling his thumbs. He didn't attempt to make any conversation with Lelouch, who was sitting on a comfy armchair in front of the TV. He just glanced his way every now and then. 

Silently, Lelouch reached for the remote. He wasn't going to sit in this stifling silence for any longer. For a while, he'd been in his own head, satisfied with his own swirling thoughts, but now that he come back to reality he was immeasurably sick of the quiet. He clicked on the TV and flipped it over to the news, putting it on at a volume just loud enough to be discernible. He watched with boredom for a little while, his thoughts drifting as the mindless program droned on about menial news. 

_When Kallen asks about Geass, what do I tell her?_ He tapped his finger against the upholstered armrest. _I doubt she'll let me out of all of this without a good explanation._

He grimaced. _It's likely she'll ask about Nunnally, too._ A pang went through his heart at the thought of his sister, captured and likely being held hostage in Britannian hands. 

_I suppose I'll tell her the truth_ , he decided. His fingers twitched as the urge to touch his wound arose and was fought down. _It's not as if I have my Geass anymore._

"...the Keibatsu have attacked _another_ Britannian transport, seizing the cargo onboard. Britannian forces are still attempting to locate the terrorist organization. Currently, their leader, Phoenix, remains anonymous and at large. Now back to you..."

The words tore him out of his thoughts and slowly sunk in. 

_'Keibatsu'_...? He stared blankly at the footage of a toppled Britannian cargo carrier. He knew without thinking that judging by the size, it had been carrying Sutherlands. 

He blinked once to clear his head. Suddenly everything was clear. _Another rebel organization_. His sluggish thoughts were laser-focused now, hyper-aware. 

_Phoenix. A new leader._

_A new Zero._

The connotations of such news... This changed everything. He'd been discouraged already, with his new lack of Geass still a raw wound—literally and figuratively—he was struggling to work around. 

But this...

This changed all of it. 

This group, the 'Keibatsu', must have appeared sometime between his capture and his escape. It seemed to have been sooner rather than later, if they had already progressed to a point where they were stealing Sutherlands directly from Britannia and were this well-known. Likely toward the beginning, in the aftermath of the failed Black Rebellion. A perfect time for a new leader to swoop in and seize control in the power vacuum created by Zero's disappearance. 

_What's their motive? Their goals? Their methods? And who is this 'Phoenix'?_

Perhaps alliance wasn't out of the question. Perhaps his reemergence could still be successful. It would all depend on this 'Phoenix'. 

He needed to learn more about the Keibatsu and Phoenix. He _needed_ to know the situation. 

——

By the time the rest of the Knights had returned, Lelouch was buzzing with impatience. He needed to know what they'd learned, he _needed_ to. It was necessary in order for him to start planning. It was necessary for him to determine the situation in order to decide the proper plan of action. 

As they filed through the door, he didn't bother to hide his intent stare. He was seated at the kitchen table, the only one not sequestered away in a bedroom. Kento and Tamaki both had retreated nearly an hour prior, leaving him to stew in his own growing anxiety and strained patience. His notebook lay in front of him, one word on the page:

'Keibatsu'.

Kallen noticed his look and glared at him, slightly unsettled. "Seriously? You sat and waited for us?" A multitude of bags were in her arms.

Lelouch ignored her and raised the notebook. His purposeful stare bored into her. 

Immediately the atmosphere in the room turned solemn. "Yeah. That's the name of the group we kept hearing over and over." She glanced off to the side. "Guess they're our replacement."

As always, Lelouch said nothing, his eye still expectant. 

Ohgi sighed and left the crowded doorway, pulling up one of the chairs at the table. He slumped into it, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his knuckles. "Everyone we asked told us about this new group. They said that they cropped up about a month after the Black Rebellion, and that it centers around some woman calling herself Phoenix." 

Chiba piped up, tone just as serious, as she headed for the table. The others began to follow, gathering in the small kitchen space. Kallen joined them after setting the bags down on the counter. "I heard that she's very adamant about her hatred for Britannia. People are angry and hurt, and they look to her for their retribution."

_From the looks of it, she's feeding off the people's anger_ , Lelouch noted, eyes narrowed. _Even calling her group the Keibatsu is meant to paint them as the punishers of Britannia_. He wanted to smile and shake his head. _While the Knights were protectors of justice, she is attempting to be Britannia's due retribution. Japan's blade, honed by their own people's pain. It's certainly clever, I'll give her that. After the Japanese's loss, I'm sure they were hungry for a vengeful leader, not one that's calm and calculated._

Lelouch raised his new message. 'How's her public reception?'

Tohdoh shook his head. "Most people seem to really like her. After Zero, they seem to enjoy her supposedly militant leadership style." He regarded Lelouch out of the corner of his eye, remnants of their joint knowledge gleaming within. "Not to mention how she seems to hate Zero. Half of her appeal seems to be her criticism of him. It seems to be how she gathered a following so quickly in the aftermath of the rebellion. People felt betrayed, and she used that to gain standing."

Lelouch couldn't help but hiss in annoyance. Not good. He'd hoped an alliance would be viable, but from this new info, it was clear that that wouldn't be happening. There went his one current idea. 

"That's about all I managed to find out as well," Kallen agreed, sounding frustrated. She huffed angrily. "I can't believe people left us behind so quickly. After all we did...!" 

Everyone at the table shuffled uncomfortably. No one was happy with this.

Ohgi made a placating gesture. "I know. But we can't afford to make enemies with them. They might be our best shot at rejoining the fight against Britannia."

Again, Lelouch wanted to growl with displeasure. Instead, he quietly scowled. No. He doubted that this Phoenix had what it took. Fighting alone wouldn't be enough to take down Britannia. Trying to face those kinds of stacked odds required cunning and meticulous planning. This Phoenix sounded like she wasn't a fan of either, judging from her opinion on him. 

He absently drummed his fingers on the table, a cluster of rhythmic sounds. But perhaps he was misjudging her. All of this information wasn't even firsthand. He still needed to see her himself, to judge _her_ , not what he'd heard about her. 

He still wasn't quite ready for _action_. 

His fingers stilled on the wood.

Calmly, he moved and wrote down two commands, delivering his newest message to them.

'I need more information, and a chessboard.'

——

"M-M-Milord!" The man scrambled in surprise as he entered the room, hastily standing to attention. "W-What brings you here?"

Suzaku stared at the man coldly, fixing the gloves of his Knight outfit. "I'm here by the order of the Emperor."

The man somehow stiffened even more. "Ah, uh, and what for...?"

"Regarding the prisoners that were supposed to be executed. We caught wind that something happened here that day that shouldn't have." Suzaku kept his gaze level on the man. "You're the head of command at this prison. I'm here to investigate what happened here." 

"W-well," the man stammered, wringing his hands nervously. "Truthfully, t-there was an... _issue_ , that day." At Suzaku's glare, the words spilled from him much quicker. "The prisoners tried to make an escape! We gunned them down, but we managed to capture Zero alive! A-As you saw, he was still executed on schedule!"

Suzaku regarded him quietly, olive eyes sharp, unyielding. "Why wasn't this in your report?"

The man squirmed uncomfortably. He was sweating profusely, his balding head shiny with moisture. "That's..." 

Suzaku narrowed his eyes. "Being withholding will likely harm you more than whatever damage this information will do."

The man swallowed, almost audibly. "This prison is the same one the Black Knights broke into once before..! We couldn't afford another stain on our record! We're top security! To be thwarted twice by Elevens—!" He cut himself off, glancing at Suzaku with a sort of nervous realization that he may have said too much. 

Suzaku fixed him in his icy stare. "...Next time, put it in your report."

The man blinked several times in surprise. "I-I'm not fired?"

He turned on his heel, cape flaring with the movement. "As of now, no. Be grateful for the Emperor's mercy." The last words burned as they crossed his lips.

The man opened his mouth, but Suzaku broke in, still without looking at him. "Before you thank me, you are being stripped of one of your titles. Don't mess up again, or you won't have any left." 

The man nodded vigorously. He was still wringing his hands when Suzaku left the room.

_All prisoners killed except Zero?_ Suzaku's gaze darkened as he strode purposefully down the prison hallways. _Unlikely. I just can't believe that that's the truth. No—I know that's not the truth. My gut tells me that the person they executed wasn't Zero._

_No. Lelouch is still out there. I’m certain of it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blasts through the door after a month of silence* BUCKLE UP FUCKERS, WE'RE GOIN ON A _RIDE_
> 
> ——
> 
> Tamaki, yawning: so what'd I miss guys  
> Everyone: a lot
> 
> ——
> 
> Warden: The rest of the prisoners were killed  
> Suzaku: hm
> 
> ——
> 
> I've had that Suzaku segment written for soooo long you have no ideaaaaa
> 
> Anyway, this chapter took a while (time flies around midterms, lol) but I hope you all find it well worth the wait ;)
> 
> Personally I love how this chapter turned out, especially past the halfway mark when stuff starts to pick up huehuehue. I didn't intend things to ramp up quite yet, but when the pieces fall into place, ya don't fight it.


	8. Phoenix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the longest yet, clocking in at about 5400 words. It’s also a pretty productive chapter. Shit gets done, my people.
> 
> I really hope everyone will enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

There was a gloom over the Student Council Room. It seemed there always was nowadays. The Council was torn and war-ravaged, facing casualties that no one liked to bring up. Kallen, gone, being as she was one of the Black Knights. Suzaku, gone, presumably due to his new position as the infamous White Death. Lelouch and Nunnally were both nowhere to be found. Most of the Council had assumed the worst after they'd both gone missing during the Black Rebellion. And Nina was the most recent loss, hired by Prince Schneizel himself to work with his science division. At least Milly could occasionally paint that one in a good light; after all, Nina was just finally being recognized for her talents! She wasn't gone, not in the same way as everyone else.

With that, the Student Council had been reduced to only three members: herself, Rivalz, and Shirley. It'd been difficult to manage with such a smaller crew, and she had to do a lot more work herself (rather than offsetting it onto everyone else; Lelouch had always picked up a lot of her slack, despite being lazy himself). Yet despite the clear heavy workloads, no one complained. 

She did her best to try to keep the mood light, but even her prime diversion tactics weren't enough. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the perpetual solemnity. Only occasionally was she able to break through, and then things would feel a little bit more normal again. But it was bound to be fleeting. The Council had been a tight, interconnected group for so long, the pieces missing felt like gaping holes.

Milly wasn't entirely positive what had happened to everyone, either. She sincerely hoped Kallen was still alive, but she knew that the Black Knights had been defeated and imprisoned for their crimes. She wasn't sure if they'd been executed already. She really hoped they hadn't been, but Zero's recent execution didn't leave much hope. She doubted there were any of them left alive. 

Lelouch and Nunnally had both vanished sometime during the Black Rebellion. The logical assumption was that, heaven forbid, they were dead, and she was sure that that had been the rest of the Council's belief. But Milly held a piece of knowledge that they didn't. 

She knew of Lelouch's and Nunnally's heritage. 

That led her down a whole new rabbit hole. Perhaps they weren't dead, but were now actually being held as political prisoners. Perhaps they had returned to the status of bargaining chip, no longer able to enact their own will. She couldn't rule it out, to rule it out would be foolish. The chance that they had been found out and taken back by the Emperor was definitely possible. In fact, she hoped it was the case. She'd rather her friends be political prisoners than dead.

"Prez, where should I put the Festival stuff?" Shirley asked as she entered the room. Her long ginger hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail to keep it out of her way as she moved boxes. They were currently prepping for the upcoming Club Recruitment Day, which, as per usual Milly fashion, was really just another excuse to hold a massive all-day event. It had started as a small event for clubs to pull in new members, but it had turned into a festival that was mostly for the clubs to show off. 

Milly thought that her massive festivals were a great way to keep everyone's morale up. As president of the Council, she viewed it as her responsibility to make school life as fun and exciting as possible. After all, why should school have to be boring and tedious? You're only in high school once!

"Go ahead and put it in Storeroom B. Unless it's the gardening club, they requested all their stuff be put in A." Milly grinned slyly at the girl. "But just between you and me, I left that to Rivalz. The boys do the heavy lifting for us ladies, right?" She winked playfully as Shirley giggled.

"Prez, that's too mean!" Shirley protested, still smiling. "We can't leave him to do all that himself! The gardening club always has the most stuff to move!"

Milly swung her legs aimlessly from where she sat perched atop the table. She feigned deep thought, eyes directed to the ceiling. "Hm. You're probably right. Welp!" She hopped off the table, smoothing out her skirt with finality. She struck a strong pose, crooking an arm like a flex, a charming smile completing the look. "Guess the ladies will have to pitch in this time, huh?"

Shirley returned her smile, small and nothing like the beaming grins the girl had once given. It tore Milly's heart to see her light dimmed.

Milly seized the top box off Shirley's stack, relieving her of a little weight. "This Recruitment Day, we're gonna need to try extra hard to bulk up our ranks!" Though she'd said it trying to bring Shirley's attention away from her sadness, she knew that in its own way, the Council's need for recruitment was saddening. Just for a moment, she allowed her cheery tone to drop. "I won't be here forever, and you and Rivalz need somebody to help with all the work. At least one other person would do." The walk to the storeroom felt longer than usual. "Though hopefully you two can go back to having a full council again."

Shirley began to open her mouth. 

"That way the girls can go back to avoiding all this dirty work, right?" Milly said, giving a now-startled Shirley a wink.

The girl slowly returned a quiet smile. "...Right." 

 

"Ahhhh, finally done!" Milly said, stretching. Shirley dusted off her hands next to her, sighing gratefully. Rivalz had finished up as well and joined them in the Council Room. 

They'd ordered pizza as a celebration and were now chowing down to their hearts' content. The TV was droning quietly in the background, a pleasant white noise.

"Ri~valz!" Milly drawled, shooting him a disapproving look. "We're supposed to be having a Council meeting!" 

He looked up from his tablet, eyebrows raised. "Come on, Prez, it's not like we're not getting anything done. This is a celebration more than anything."

She crossed her arms airily. "Maybe, but we all have to be in tune with each other." She waggled a finger pointedly. "There's a lot of events coming up."

"What are you looking at, anyway, Rivalz?" Shirley asked around a mouthful of cheese pizza, green eyes blinking curiously.

In an uncharacteristic display, Rivalz seemed solemn. "It's a posting about the Keibatsu. Apparently Phoenix delivered a message directed to Britannia. It was meant to go on the airwaves, but the government suppressed it. Some hackers managed to get ahold of the footage and post it online." He turned the tablet, and Shirley and Milly leaned in. He played the video for them to see.

The quality was subpar, often cutting in and out, but it was still good enough to understand. Phoenix stood centered on the screen, her golden bird's faceplate reflecting harsh bright light, the metallic plumes crowning her mask giving her an unearthly look. Her jet black, jagged shoulder plates glinted with sharp angles of light. Her black cape's collar stood stiff, framing her jawline, spilling over her shoulders in the semblance of bird wings. Its bright red lining was vivid against the slate gray backdrop she stood against. She stood proud, her posture stiff and immobile. The thick leather belt around her hips held her trademark sword, and though there wasn't any record of her using it, something about her poised stance left no doubt that she could. 

Her hands were both folded behind her back, giving her an almost soldier-like appearance. Her words, delivered in a measured, husky voice, sounded almost clinical. 

"Good afternoon, Britannia. Truly, I am endlessly amused by the Britannian government's treatment of the Keibatsu. They refuse us, pretending they do not see what we do. They continue to lie to the people, as if they are fools who do not see the state of the Area. As if they do not see our growing strength.

"That brings me to the true purpose of this message. Britannia, though you continue to lie to yourselves, the truth is that we have grown strong. The seizing of Britannian Sutherlands recently reported is not the first instance, nor will it be the last. Your attempts to make us look smaller and more insignificant than we really are are pitiable."

Her still posture was a marvel to witness. Despite the force of her words, her steady body language imbued a sense of duty and dignity. "The time is nearing to choose a side. The Japanese people already see us as their hidden heroes, but that is no longer accurate. We cannot be avoided or ignored anymore. As we grow in strength, we enter the spotlight, we take up the heavy mantle of being Japan's saviors. For that is what we are—representatives of Japan, her protectors and her warriors.

"You may continue to try to ignore us with all your might. But eventually, you will no longer be able to turn a blind eye. By then, you will find it is much too late.

"The will of the people lies with the Keibatsu. As our strength grows, Britannia's wanes."

Her tone was stone-cold. "We are judgement, punishment, and retribution." The video abruptly ends, cutting to black, leaving the trio staring at the own reflections on the screen.

For once Milly was struck solemn. 

"Jeez," Shirley breathed, echoing all their thoughts.

"I know," Rivalz agreed, sounding troubled. "I guess the government's been suppressing news about the Keibatsu. I didn't realize it'd become so bad."

"It's the Black Knights all over again." Shirley twisted a lock of hair nervously. "It feels like we haven't caught a break!"

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, trapped in their own thoughts.

Shirley and Rivalz both jumped in surprise as Milly slapped a hand on each of their shoulders. "Well, I'm sure it'll all turn out fine!" She raised one finger, her tone morphing into one of confidence. "I'm sure the government has a handle on it. In a couple months, it'll be old news!"

Rivalz leaned back, raising his hands behind his head. "Yeah, that's right! These guys are nothing like the Black Knights. I'm sure we'll get them in a month or two."

"Exactly!" Milly continued slyly, "And besides, we don't have time to be worrying about this stuff. We've still got more festival prep to do!"

Shirley and Rivalz simultaneously groaned. "Prezzzzzz!"

——

"You were in the square on January 12th, weren't you?" Suzaku fixed the elderly woman with a intense stare. 

"Yes, yes." She nodded, oblivious to his unfriendly aura. "I was there. It was quite frightening. I was nearly shoved to the ground by the crowd!"

Suzaku ignored her indignant remark. "Exactly what happened? Please don't leave out any details."

The woman poured them each a cup of tea with lightly shaking hands. "It was all such a blur. The crowd was panicked, I barely knew what was happening. The square was peaceful, but then just suddenly erupted into chaos. I remember there was distant gunshots, and then suddenly the crowd was pushing and shoving everywhere."

Suzaku picked up his cup but didn't drink it. Steam caressed his nose. "What else?" 

The woman took a slow sip of tea, not speaking until she had set the cup back down. "When the gun went off and the windows shattered, I worried that we'd be shot." She frowned. "I hope everyone managed to get out alright."

"There were no casualties." Almost infuriatingly, the escape seemed to have been perfectly orchestrated, even in the sense that the public didn't suffer any deaths. Though the same couldn't be said for the guards. 

_Because the public could be used as shields_. Suzaku's grip tightened around the cooling cup. _A tactic that reeks of Lelouch's doing._

"What a relief," the woman sighed. "It was hard to tell in the midst of the chaos." She refilled her own cup, delicate china with painted roses. She added a cube of sugar, stirring it daintily, little spoon clinking gently. It cut the silence.

"In fact, for a second I even thought I saw Zero there." She gave a good-natured chuckle, almost rueful. "My eyes really aren't what they used to be."

Suzaku kept his gaze steady, but inside, he was alight. There it was! The information he'd _really_ been looking for.

Suzaku finally took a sip of the tea, mostly out of politeness. He'd added no sugar or milk. And it was getting cold. "Really? Where was he headed?"

The woman chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Taking the ramblings of a little old lady like me seriously? My, my, you're too kind." She set the spoon down and slowly shook her head. "But I didn't actually see that much. It was only for a second, and barely through the crowd."

Suzaku wanted to sigh with simultaneous frustration and disappointment. "I see." He glanced at the clock. “I believe I’d best get going.” Crisply, he stood up, folding an arm in front of his stomach and one behind his back. He gave a quick, shallow bow. "Thank you for your time." He glanced at the table. "And the tea."

She blinked at him owlishly. "It was my pleasure." She stood up. "Let me see you out." 

The woman walked him to the front door; he thanked her again at the threshold. She smiled. "You take care, now." 

"You as well." She closed the door, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

Though she hadn't had a lot of useful information, she was at least some confirmation that Lelouch had been there. Now he just needed to find someone else who'd actually seen where he'd headed. The soldiers hadn't been able to follow him through the crowd and had lost visual soon after he'd gone in, so they'd been little help. What he _needed_ was someone who'd been there, who'd actually seen Zero and where he'd vanished to. After all, this was the only lead he had.

Suzaku narrowed his eyes. If anyone could find Lelouch, it was him. He was determined for it to be him. Things had become personal far too long ago between them. Only one of them would get out of this alive, and Lelouch had made sure it would be Suzaku, whether he liked it or not.

If Suzaku's punishment had been received, Lelouch's was still yet to come. There would be _justice_ for all Lelouch had done. Eventually, there would be justice.

——

The days passed in a sort of dry routine. By day, some of the group went out info gathering (which tended to be mostly fruitless, most of the knowledge being things they'd already heard about). Anyone who didn't go out stayed in the apartment and sat around, usually lying around thinking or watching TV. It felt like they were at a standstill, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The only one who seemed to actually be _doing_ anything was Lelouch. Sometimes she'd see him fiddling with the collar, staring intently at what he was doing in the mirror, the right side of his face tilted slightly toward his reflection. At first she'd worried he'd shock himself or something by messing with it, but he never seemed too concerned about it, so she stopped fretting over it and let him do it. He never seemed to make any progress, but she knew he must be getting _some_ where, since he was still just as persistent the next day he'd try, and he wasn't the type to continue to pursue something fruitless. No, he was _all_ about results.

Kallen personally almost couldn't wait for his temporary muteness to be lifted. She'd been patiently waiting for the chance to actually talk with him for the better part of a year, at this point. She wanted to ask about Nunnally, Geass, all the things she still had no real clue about. Once she had the information, she'd decide for herself what to do with it.

It was evening, currently; nearly a week since the prison escape. Her, Tamaki, and Kento were sitting on the couch, listlessly watching TV, only half-listening to the mindless game show. Ohgi and Chiba were prepping dinner. Tohdoh was frowning at the chess set that had been set up on the kitchen table, pieces seemingly haphazardly placed. Everyone else was loitering around the apartment, either in one the side rooms or in the main room, sitting on boxes that acted as makeshift chairs. Lelouch was in the bathroom, fiddling with the collar again. The door was open, leaving him easily visible to everyone else. Kallen was almost impressed at the level of concentration that showed on his face.

"Aw, come on!" Tamaki threw out a hand in exasperation. "Shoulda gone for five hundred!" 

Kallen rolled her eyes. Okay, correction, _she_ and _Kento_ were only half-listening. _Tamaki_ was quite involved. "Not everyone is as risky as you."

Tamaki huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, you know what they say, no risk, no reward."

They again fell into detached, although still companionable, silence. The only sounds were the quiet droning of the TV with its cheesy studio audience and the soft clicks of the knife on the chopping board. If it weren't quite so quiet, Kallen probably wouldn't have been able to hear the quiet snap and quick hiss of breath. Questioningly, she turned around toward the bathroom. 

A moment later Lelouch, one hand rubbing his neck and the other gripping the released collar, emerged. Casually, he walked out, across the room, all the way to the garbage can. He held out the collar and dropped it in disdainfully. "Good riddance," he hissed hoarsely.

Kallen blinked. "You got the collar off."

Still rubbing his neck, Lelouch gave her a sideways smirk. "Took a bit longer than I thought it would. Part of the struggle was making sure I didn't accidentally kill myself while working on it."

"And now that it's done, we can actually get somewhere," Chiba said, setting down her knife a little more forcefully than was necessary. 

Lelouch let out a long breath, looking for all the world like his patience was wearing very thin. "Is it too much to ask that this wait until _after_ we've eaten?"

Ohgi placed a hand on Chiba's arm. "He's right. Let's give him a moment to breathe." She scowled, but went back to chopping vegetables.

Lelouch turned away, meeting Kallen's eyes purposefully. "You and I should talk." Kallen nodded and rose, following him into the unoccupied bedroom. She heard Tamaki huff in annoyance as she walked in, closing the door behind them.

Once the door was closed, Lelouch dropped a little bit of his invulnerable attitude. His shoulders seemed to drop a little, weariness lining his expression. "You and I have a lot to discuss."

Kallen crossed her arms and shook her head in amused disbelief. "I think that much is clear."

Lelouch nodded in agreement. "Being that you're the only one who really knows what happened during the Black Rebellion, I figured you'd have some questions for me."

Did she _ever_. There were inquiries that had been stewing inside her for nearly a year. She wasted no time on launching into the questions. "Back on that day, you mentioned that Nunnally had been kidnapped. By who? And where is she now?"

Lelouch looked away for a moment. "That's true. I'm not entirely sure who did it, and I can only assume she remains in the hands of her kidnappers."

Kallen scanned his face, searching for some kind of tell, but as usual, he was impossible to read. Reluctantly, she accepted his lack of knowledge. "Why did you go to Kamine Island in the first place?" 

"I believed it was linked to who kidnapped Nunnally." Again, Kallen could find no trace of deception, but that gave her no closure. Lelouch could lie his way through seemingly anything. He'd fooled her before.

"So you _do_ have an idea of who did it?"

"The only hint I had was Kamine Island. After all, there'd be no point to kidnapping her if they didn't draw me away from the battlefield." His words were firm, edged with logic she knew she couldn't fight against. 

She decided to accept his words and move along her questions. "Alright then. Next, I want to know: what is Geass?"

Lelouch seemed like he'd been prepping for this question, if his quick response had anything to say. "A power that I used to possess. It gave me the ability to compel others to yield to my will." He gave her a steely look. "No matter what the order."

Kallen, unsure how to respond, laughed weakly. "A power? Some superhuman ability, is that it?" Was he trying to belittle her?

His purple eye was serious, without the hint of joke. "I'm serious. How do you think Zero always managed to get into places he never should've? Came to possess things with seemingly no explanation? Anytime I broke into somewhere without the Knights' aid, it was usually Geass that allowed me to do it."

Oh my god, he was actually serious? A power that allowed him to command others? Kallen thought back. It was true, Zero had always seemed to be able to pull off stunts that no one could explain. How he managed to sneak into fully locked down compounds, how he managed to get ahold of their headquarters. He'd never actually explained it beyond saying that he'd received the HQ just by...asking. Oh. 

He was actually telling the truth, wasn't he.

Kallen's crossed arms morphed into a self-hug. She clenched her fists to keep them from quaking as realization after startling realization hit. "Then that means... The Knights, all of it... Was any of it real...?"

Lelouch shook his head. "All of your wills are your own, Kallen, you _and_ the others." His gaze darkened. "Besides. That power is gone now."

Kallen barely managed to pull herself back together. She wasn't done asking about the nature of this power, not by a long shot. But still, she asked, "What do you mean, 'it's gone'?"

Lelouch's hand drifted toward the bandage over his left eye. "The day before our slated execution, someone broke into my cell and removed it."

Kallen gasped, her eyes widening. She'd been meaning to ask him what had happened to his eye. She'd realized it'd been wounded, but his words implied... "T-The power, it was in...?"

He winced in some kind of flicker of pain. "Yes. And to remove it meant removing the eye."

She fought against the weakness in her knees. She would not collapse from the shock, not like she had during the Black Rebellion. She steered the conversation in a new direction, chasing away thoughts of how one would even go about removing an eye in the first place. "How exactly did the power work? How can I really trust that you didn't use it on us? On me?"

Lelouch huffed. "You can't, really, especially now that I no longer possess it. There were limitations to the power, like requiring direct eye contact. It could also only be used once per person." He cupped his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose the only way you'd know is if you had any glaring memory gaps. Those who I Geass don't remember what happened when I used it on them."

Kallen wracked her brain. She couldn't recall any time she'd had any missing memories. If Lelouch's words were to be trusted—and something told her they could, considering that he had little motivation to lie—then she truly hadn't been 'Geassed'. Tentatively, she felt herself calming down. "And everyone else, they would say the same?"

He met her blue eyes with a level gaze. Always that same calm, borderline apathetic, look. "Yes. Though I'd prefer you keep the knowledge of Geass between us."

She leaned back against the wall, trying to gather her thoughts. He was asking her to keep his secrets. Something told her that if she didn't, he would never trust her like this again. "Alright," she said after a while. "I won't tell anyone about it."

Curtly, he nodded. "Good."

A deep breath in. Out. Kallen was not going to be overwhelmed again. "I'm not done with my questions." He frowned. "Lelouch, I'll ask you again, why are you doing all of this?" A realization struck her, and she was quick to give voice to it. "Is it for Nunnally?"

There was a brief moment where he actually looked taken by surprise, but he quickly regained control of his expression. "Britannia is all about survival of the fittest. In that world, my sister does not have a place. And if that is the case, then the world must change."

Kallen wasn't quite sure what to say. "All of this, for one person? You'd take down an entire empire, just for a world more suited for your sister?"

Seeing Lelouch now, it was easy to believe that he was the man behind the mask. With his cold eye and sharp gaze, he looked like the man anyone would envision of Zero. "Yes. And I'd make that same choice every time."

Kallen was quiet. His conviction was real, viciously strong in the way only sibling ties could be. She could understand it, to some extent. Taking down an empire for one's sibling sounded crazy to her ears, and yet, hadn't she been motivated to join the resistance because of her own brother? Hadn't they been just as devoted to each other?

Kallen tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling. Perhaps his motivations were more pure than she'd given him credit for. She'd been quick to accuse, to point fingers, but really, his devotion to the cause was true. His hatred of Britannia was real. Whether or not he had once possessed some sort of power of coercion, it no longer made a difference. Whether or not he'd kept secrets, it no longer really mattered. The playing field had been leveled, and all they really had anymore was each other. For the first time, she felt like she was beginning to see him clearly.

Eventually, she lowered her gaze back to him. He was staring expectantly. Slowly, she shook her head and smiled. "Guess we oughta start getting along, huh?"

He returned her smile, and it was refreshing in its sincerity. It was a little bit twisted, a little bit relieved, and very much human. "Guess so."

 

By the time the last person had set down their chopsticks, Lelouch was already sitting prim and proper at the head of the table, looking steady enough to give a speech. He was the first to speak about the topic at hand. "I'd like the chance to explain myself, and everyone else merely listen." He panned his gaze over everyone, yet it undeniably rested a little longer on Chiba and Tamaki. Chiba seemed to notice; Tamaki seemed blissfully unaware of the snub. 

When no one interrupted, he launched into his spiel. "I will not deny my abandonment during the Black Rebellion," he began, tone calm and careful, his words expertly tiptoeing through the minefield. "I am fully aware that my actions were at the cost of our victory." 

He paused, closed his eye. He didn't resume speaking until he'd opened it again. "I will not make excuses, and I will not dodge the truth. I fled the battlefield due to threat to someone important to me." Kallen tried to stifle her surprise. She never would've thought he'd tell them about Nunnally. 

But, on the other hand, perhaps she really shouldn't be so surprised. The rest of the Knights had been very adamant about receiving the truth, and had clearly recognized his deflections. Lying would have only dug his grave deeper, she realized. 

And besides. It wasn't as if he was fully laying everything out on the table.

Asahina pushed up his glasses. They gave his face a sterner look. "'Someone important to you', huh? And I guess you won't be telling us who, will you?"

And there was Zero, emerging in the chips of ice in Lelouch's eye. "Considering this person was used against me during the Rebellion, you'll have to forgive me for feeling disinclined to share." He steepled his fingers in front of him. "I'm already putting myself at enough risk by mentioning them at all."

"So you abandoned us to protect them, am I understanding this right?" Chiba said, maintaining her chilly attitude. 

"Believe me when I say it wasn't a choice I wanted to have to make," Lelouch said pointedly. "The situation was not ideal."

Kallen snorted, unable to hold back a smartass comment. "I'll say." Lelouch gave her a sharp look, but made no comment.

Tohdoh settled a gaze on Lelouch that seemed extraordinarily heavy. Something unspoken passed between them. "It's a little disconcerting, to hear that you abandoned us for someone else."

"Again, I had no desire to. There's a reason I kept my personal life as far removed from that of Zero's as possible. I wanted to avoid that very situation."

Tamaki leaned back in his chair, tipping the legs off the ground. "So where even is this person then?"

"Considering I was captured along with the rest of you, I can only assume they are either dead or still being held hostage," he stated, tone clinical, cold. The chair legs slipped too-loudly down to the floor again. "So if your fear is that my priorities are not in order, I can assure you that it is no longer in my control."

Tamaki shut his mouth.

Ohgi—bless him—cleared his throat, taking the plunge into the awkward silence. "Well, I guess that clears up that, then.” He glanced at his phone. “It’s getting late. Perhaps we should resume this conversation tomorrow, clear up any lasting questions?" 

Lelouch nodded. "...I'm sure we could all use some rest." He got up from the table, entering one of the side rooms. Though it felt like a dismissal, Kallen saw it more as a retreat.

She shot Tamaki a look. "At least he told us anything at all."

Tamaki raised his hands up defensively. "I wasn't tryin' to call him out!"

Ohgi sighed. "No, but I'm sure we haven't exactly been on very good terms. We've all been a bit aggressive toward him."

Chiba jabbed her finger against the table. "Because he abandoned us and betrayed our trust! We were moments from execution because of him!"

"An execution he was moments from also being a part of," Ohgi reminded. "We weren't the only ones facing the consequences of it. He was the one with the shock collar, not us."

"You're too easy on him," Chiba countered angrily.

"Yeah," Tamaki agreed loudly. "Is it 'cause he's a kid or somethin'?"

Ohgi ran his hands down his face, and Kallen knew she had to save him from becoming the new object of scrutiny. "Guys, guys, maybe we all should calm down and get some sleep." She didn't usually play mediator, but usually Ohgi was being viewed as the coolheaded one. When he was being placed under fire, she needed to step up.

"We won't get anything done by arguing among ourselves," Tohdoh agreed, and Kallen wanted to let out a breath of relief. His authority, being a lot higher than hers, actually succeeded in making the Knights listen. 

"Yeah, yeah," Tamaki muttered as he got up along with everyone else. 

Ohgi gave Tohdoh and Kallen each a grateful look. She tried to convey her understanding with her eyes alone. Tohdoh simply nodded and headed off.

Kallen sighed and got up, moving to the sink. Might as well make herself useful and wash some dishes. "I think you're right to say we've been a bit harsh."

Ohgi gave her a tiny smile. "Thanks, Kallen."

She laughed a little, exasperated. "I'm not asking you to thank me. I'm just saying that I think what you're saying is true." She soaped up the plates and bowls, scrubbing them clean. "Eventually, we're gonna need to start trusting each other again."

Ohgi joined her at the sink, wordlessly grabbing a towel and starting to dry. Such a familiar routine, yet it'd been so long since they'd participated in it. "Yes, we will. I just hope they can realize that we need to move forward someday. And when we do, it will be with him."

Kallen nodded. "Yes. It will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Watch as Local Author Tries to Kill Too Many Birds with One Stone!"
> 
> ——
> 
> No Lelouch segment this time around. Decided it was time to check in with our side characters. Looking back, a lot happened in this chapter. I thought it was going to seem dull, but in the end, not only did a bunch happen, I'm actually pretty pleased with it all! Dialogue is my favorite to write. When I write conversations, I try to do it all at once so that my train of thought is flowing really well! The last 2.5k words or so of this was written all in one fat session, lol. Seriously, took me about 2 or 3 hours, yeesh. But man, when the juices are flowin' everything turns out so much better.
> 
> I know people are probably ready for the Knights and Lelouch to start actually getting along, and this is sort of a tipping point of sorts. The road to rebuilding trust is long, and they've sorta started to wind the bend. Now that they've had a bit of time, they are starting to allow themselves to try to get along. Especially with Kallen's and Lelouch's new understanding (which really, I'm sure everyone's been dying to have happen). 
> 
> I put in an Ashford segment to check in with our dear side characters. I don't necessarily have a side plot for them, but I did figure they were worth checking in on. And they were perfect for debuting my darling Phoenix! I've been very excited to debut her. I really hope this has piqued everyone's interest into her character and who she is. 
> 
> _Another_ Suzaku segment this chapter. He just so happens to be a very busy guy right now, heh. He's certainly looking into all the commotion.
> 
> Lelouch is not mute anymore yaaaay! I had fun writing him (you can probably tell). 
> 
> I’m very excited to really get into the meat and potatoes of the story. Also scared cause it's gonna be hard to write once I get there, ahhhhh!!!


	9. Chasing Threads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are formulated and progress is made!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I wasn’t prepared for how huge my workload would be at the start of the semester and I was spending a lot of my time with schoolwork. But now I’ve settled in and have more time again! Please enjoy!

Silvia. That name had reached him in whispers gathered by further info-collecting runs. When asked who Phoenix was, while some answered with shrugs, some produced this name. Despite the lack of last name, Lelouch had known he could sift through the names until eventually he pinpointed exactly which Silvia was Phoenix. For a day and a half he'd pored through Britannian servers. After a fruitless search that didn't turn up any suitable candidates, he decided to turn his search to old EU servers—though they'd been commandeered by Britannia following their defeat, they were still separate from Britannia's own servers. Lo and behold, he'd quickly found someone who seemed to perfectly fit his mold. 

Full name Silvia Virazelle. Thirty-three. Born in the EU. Served as a military commander for nearly ten years before going AWOL a few months before the EU's fall to Britannia. 

Perfectly coincidentally, soon after Silvia's disappearance, Phoenix emerged in Japan. The political landscape then had been rocky, a ravaged battlefield pockmarked with pitfalls. And yet, she managed to find all the proper footholds. It should have been near impossible. Yet where there was defeat, Silvia had found opportunity. 

It was clear to Lelouch that this woman was likely no ordinary woman. Much like how he'd quickly regretted underestimating his elder sister Cornelia, she seemed like one he'd do well to be wary with. Judging from the information on her records, she was seasoned. A decade of experience was certainly nothing to sneeze at. 

That was certainly not to say that he'd allow himself to be backed into a corner by her. She'd put him into an admittedly tight spot, but he was never one to back down from a challenge. 

He narrowed his eyes at the chessboard laid out in front of him. White far outnumbered black, and two out-of-place salt and pepper shakers were set awkwardly to the side of the board, somewhere around the middle. 

He rolled the black king absently in his grip. While the fact that every Knight happened to be home gave the apartment a pleasantly lived-in feeling—which he infinitely preferred over it feeling like a second prison—it wasn't great for helping his thoughts. It wasn't that he needed silence to think; quite the contrary, he was quite skilled in thinking adeptly while surrounded by raging warfare. No, it was that he was unused to having so many people around him, and not a single one to bounce his ideas off of. A slight uncomfortable pang went through his heart as he thought of C.C., who'd often filled that role for him. He'd need to track her down as soon as he had the power to do so.

He didn't notice Kallen moving towards him until she sat down across from him and casually rested her chin in her palm. She pointed at the board. "So what's up?"

Frankly, he was so desperate for someone to be subject to his ramblings that he allowed some of usual walls to fall. Allowing her, allowing them, to see his thought process, something usually kept confined within his own head. 

He hummed acknowledgement, giving the king a deft twist within his fingers before setting it down. With his now-freed hand, he gestured to the board. "We, as the now-derelict Black Knights, have been put in quite the predicament."

Kallen frowned, but didn't disagree. "Looks like there's a lot more white than black," she observed.

He nodded. "White is, of course, Britannia. They hold the most resources. Hence, they dominate the board." He regarded the black with almost a disdain (certainly one he'd never direct towards his Knights). "Black is the Keibatsu."

Kallen blinked in surprise. "Not us?"

"No. _Those_ ," Lelouch gave a glance to the salt and pepper shakers, "are us."

"Seriously?" Kallen stared at the shakers like they'd reared up and bitten her. "We don't even get real pieces?"

"Which is reflective of our current predicament. The Knights don't have a place on the battlefield, as of right now. We're trapped in between a war of two sides, with no real place in it."

Kallen panned her gaze over the board, trying her best to follow his process. "What do you mean? We're still against Britannia, same as always."

"While that may be true, the political climate is not so simple. Phoenix does not seem like the type that would unite for the sake of a common enemy. She loathes Zero. If we were to try and reestablish ourselves, we would find ourselves with more enemies than allies."

Slowly, it dawned on her. "Ah. So basically, because Phoenix hates _you_..." he nodded, "...she would never ally with us. Because it would throw her whole position into jeopardy, since she used her stance on you to become popular."

"Exactly," he confirmed. "She can't ally with Zero without going back on herself, which would not only be out of the question for her, it would also severely wound her reputation. As a result..." He pushed the salt and pepper onto the middle of the board. "...We would be caught in the crossfire."

Kallen looked over the pieces carefully. "So then what? We can't get anything done without gathering more recruits again."

Lelouch gave her a sinister smile. "Who says that the Knights have to reveal themselves at all?"

Kallen narrowed her eyes. "And how exactly do you plan on rebuilding the Black Knights without us even announcing ourselves?"

Lelouch leaned back, enjoying this part of the process. His mind worked best when he began to explain his scheme. Everything tended to fall so clearly into place. "Kallen, the Britannians have graciously put us in an unintentionally advantageous position." He moved the shakers off to the side again, this time hidden behind the black side. "By falsely executing Zero and attempting to cover up the prison break, they've essentially taken us off both sides' radar. We are hidden enemies to Britannia. As far as the public's concerned, the Black Knights have been eradicated. And to the Keibatsu, we've been either in jail or executed." 

Kallen didn't look like she was fully following, so he continued. "Zero revealing now would surely cause pandemonium, but what more? It would serve no real benefit. So why do it at all, currently?" He grinned behind his hand. "In fact, why not take advantage of our position in the shadows to make unfavorable conditions favorable?" 

She shook her head. "But how? I get that we're off the radar, but I don't see what we can do with so small a group."

Now Lelouch could feel himself smiling, that little grin he wore when everything started to make itself clear. "Well, we'll simply join the Keibatsu."

For a few seconds, all Kallen did was stare. "... _Huh_?"

He waved a hand. "Think about it, Kallen. We can join the Keibatsu, and they won't know we're the remnants of the Black Knights; specifically, they'll be unaware of my role as Zero. We bide our time, grow in strength, and perhaps try to influence the Keibatsu a bit. Then, when the time is right, we can make our move."

Kallen's focus flicked from the board to him. "Will that even work?" 

Lelouch picked up the king piece again, regarding it with a steely gaze. "There's no reason it wouldn't. The Keibatsu have no reason to reject new, willing recruits." He dragged his eye from the piece, staring Kallen in the face. "There is some room for error, as well. We _could_ explain ourselves as prior members of the Knights, if need be. After all, I'm certain that plenty of the Keibatsu were once members of the Black Knights. There'd be nothing unusual in claiming we were once members of the rebellion. It could also help explain Tohdoh and the Swords."

Kallen huffed and shook her head. "Okay, you lost me. I don't understand why we'd want to tell them that we're Black Knights members if the whole point is to lay low."

"The point is for the Black Knights to look as if it has completely dissolved. We want to look inactive, not like we didn't exist. We simply don't want the Keibatsu to believe that we are still _acting_ as the Black Knights. For all intents and purposes, we should be members of the Keibatsu to them."

"And then...?" Kallen began, voice lilting into a question.

"And then we have remedied our situation. We will be completely safe and hidden among the Keibatsu. Like hiding a tree in a forest." Smoothly, he placed the black king among the black side of the board, directly astride the queen. "And the Keibatsu also cannot reject an alliance they don't know they're making."

Slowly, Kallen agreed, though she still didn't look fully convinced. "But what will we do after we're in the Keibatsu? How will we 'make our move'?" 

Lelouch gave her a secretive smile. "That will fall mostly to my hands. Once the conditions are cleared, we'll enter that phase of the plan, and you will all be informed of the next steps."

Kallen dropped her head to the table. " _Ughhhh_. Just when I thought we were done with secrets."

"The next course of action will depend heavily on how this plan fares," Lelouch warned. "I likely won't have a full-fledged operation prepared for a little while." He dropped his voice to be a touch less hard. "Hence why I'm asking for _patience_ , Kallen."

She lifted her head and gave a dramatic sigh. "I get it, I get it." She gave him a look from below her lashes. "One last thing, though. Why not join the Keibatsu for real? Why continue as the Knights? They're fighting Britannia just like we are."

He drummed his fingers on the table, a dull beat. "...Phoenix is not going to be the one to win this fight," he answered finally.

Kallen was quick to give an amused snort, raising her eyebrows. "Oh? Want the credit for yourself, then?"

"No, that's not it," he murmured, a slight edge to his tone. "I simply don't think she's capable. Her group's been around for the better part of a year, and she hasn't achieved half of what we did in less time." 

His gaze cut through the black king. It stood stark and proud amongst the other black pieces on the board. "While biding one's time isn't foolish, there's a point where it becomes an inability to get things done." Phoenix's progress had proven to be nothing but slow and steady. _Too_ slow. Compared to what he knew he could do, she worked at an excruciatingly sluggish rate. 

He leaned back and cupped his face in his hand. "This has become nothing but a war of attrition between the Keibatsu and Britannia. It's stagnant. Eventually, Britannia will weed out the Keibatsu and eliminate them once and for all. My goal is to step in before that happens." 

Silently, the black king pierced the sky. Lelouch lifted his gaze to Kallen, giving her a sly smile. "All that's left is to figure out how to join."

——

Lelouch looked grimly into the bathroom mirror, tentative fingers investigating his now-ruined eye socket. The flesh was pink and angry and painful, even despite his careful ministrations in tending to the wound. It would take quite a while longer to heal; even then, it would leave a horrendous scar. Lelouch tried not to think about how he’d be needing to wear an eyepatch for the rest of his life. Either that, or just leave the hideous wound on display for everyone to gape at, which was certainly not an option.

Suddenly, the door opened and the culprit barged in loudly without bothering to knock. "Hey-" The words died on Tamaki’s lips as the image in front of him processed. Simultaneously, Lelouch startled and turned from the mirror to face the unexpected intruder. The second their eyes met, he clapped a hand over his left eye, hiding it from view. How much had he seen?

After a moment that seemed to hold its breath, Tamaki let out a shaky exhale. "...Shit..." he breathed in barely a whisper, tone somewhere between horrified and awed. 

Lelouch fought the urge to clutch the hand over his eye a little tighter. So much for keeping his weaknesses hidden. He really hated being in this position, so out of control of his personal business. If it became necessary for him to reveal more private details to his subordinates, he'd prefer to make the choice to do so, rather than having the information come out because of Tamaki's inability to knock before entering literally _any_ room.

After another moment, Tamaki peeled his eyes away for just long enough to quietly shut the door. He turned back to Lelouch incredulously. "W-What happened to you?"

Lelouch grit his teeth and looked away, somewhere off to the right of Tamaki. "It's not important."

There was another silence, one that settled around borderline awkward. 

"I get it," Tamaki surprised him by saying after a while. He looked away distantly in an unexpectedly moment of understanding. "I get why you didn't say anythin'." 

Lelouch tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't help it, he was just so surprised by this maturity. 

Tamaki shrugged nonchalantly. "If I was you, I wouldn't want people pointing out my weakness to me all the time, either." 

Stiffly, Lelouch gave a small nod. He had never expected to be having this conversation with _Tamaki_ of all people, but it was clear that he really did understand, so who was he to reject his respect? 

"I guess what I mean to say is...I ain't mad you hid it, and I won't tell anybody what's up either. Your business is your business, and if you don't wanna tell us about this, I'm not gonna blab about this to everyone." 

Lelouch allowed gratitude to cross his features. "Thank you." The words were simple, but undoubtedly infinitely valuable to his Knights, who heard them from him so little.

Again, Tamaki shrugged. "Eh, it's what pals do." He looked away. "And don't think this means I forgive what you did yet. Dunno if I'm ready to do that. But I guess...just 'cause I think you betrayed us doesn't mean I have to hate you, ya know?"

Lelouch snorted quietly. "Sure." He couldn't keep the amusement from his tone.

Tamaki turned back and looked him in the eye again. "I wanna believe in you again, man." He seemed pleading, and Lelouch found himself feeling a pang of guilt. He'd never _quite_ fully regretted abandoning the Knights for Nunnally, but now he found himself feeling something close to pained for it.

Lelouch loosened his hold over his eye, then let his hand fall to his side. "...I know." There wasn't much else to say. His hate for Britannia was still there, burning bright as ever, but frustratingly his position had been damaged from the loss of his Geass. While he'd begun to formulate a plan, the specifics were foggy at best. There was too much uncertainty for him to make any promises.

Tamaki seemed a little bit disappointed in his words. He stared for a second before starting to turn away. "You're really different than I thought you'd be."

Lelouch laughed harshly. "Did you expect some noble leader? Someone heroic?"

At that, Tamaki bristled a bit. "I dunno! Just... someone who understood."

Lelouch fell quiet, biting down his instinct to spit more venom at his childish words. "I do understand. More than you know."

Tamaki crossed his arms and frowned at him. "Maybe we'd know more if you told us," he answered angrily, and then he went out the door.

——

Kallen picked her way through the ragged ghetto streets. The evening sun painted the sky bloody hues, giving the land an eerie feel. She was surrounded by Japanese people stumbling home, work-weary; drinking booze after a long shift; and some simply loitering about in small packs, perhaps looking for some unsuspecting Britannian to bully and force to become an object of their frustrations. 

As night fell on the ghettoes, Britannian control loosened. These people were not Elevens, but worn Japanese struggling to make something from nothing. 

She kept her eyes down as she passed a streetlamp plastered with wanted posters. The flat black-and-gold masked figure seemed to glare into her with empty eyesockets. _If only she was as easy to find as her wanted posters_ , Kallen noted wryly, eyes darting to an alleyway up ahead that seemed to hold promise. She'd found multiple sources that had told her that if she wanted to find Phoenix, here would be the start. Alleyway gossip among Japanese was common, being that it was the main way of getting information around that couldn't be suppressed or glamoured by the media. 

Her eyes went into the alley. A small group of Japanese loitered around. One leaned against the wall, another swirled a bottle of sake. Two more were holding lazy conversation. As she walked up, the murmurs settled as their eyes landing on her. One of the guys checked her out appraisingly. She ignored him, crossing her arms. "Anyone here know where I can find the Keibatsu?"

The guy with the sake pointed at her with the neck of the bottle. "What's a lady like you lookin' into them for?"

"That's my business," she said, fire on her tongue. "Now do you know, or not?" She shifted her weight impatiently. This wasn't the first of these types of groups she'd had to question, and it'd long ago become a chore.

The man leaning against the wall shrugged. "I dunno where you could _find_ 'em. But I might know how you could get in contact."

Kallen's heart leaped excitedly. "Really?" She kept her tone from being too interested. "How?"

The man was silent for a little while, then shrugged again like he couldn't care either way. "Recruiter comes by this district every once in a while. Tuesday nights he hangs around these few blocks. Changes it up each week. If you want in with the Keibatsu, that's who you'll wanna talk to."

Kallen barely kept the triumphant grin off her face. "Thanks for the info." When she turned on her heel and strode back down the street, there was new purpose in her step.

——

When she was wandering around the suggested blocks and came across a Japanese man with an appraising glint in his eye, she knew even before approaching him that he was with the Keibatsu. He had that flintiness to him that she herself had exhibited, the flame of rebellion that stemmed from rising against their Britannian oppressors. As she walked up to where he quietly hung around a small group of Japanese playing a card game, he eyeballed her in much the same way she had him.

The second she reached him, he already had raised his eyebrows knowingly. "You look like a woman on a mission," he said, crossing his arms casually. "Wouldn't happen to be looking for me, would you?" The Japanese playing what looked to be poker barely gave them a mildly interested glance before turning back to their game. 

Kallen set her shoulders back in an effort to put on a more commanding air. "That's right. I was told the only way to get in contact with the Keibatsu would be through a recruiter."

The man rolled his eyes and sighed. "No need for any posturing. You seem to know what your looking for. I won't play any games, so let's just get to the point." His eyes narrowed with purpose. "What exactly are you looking for from the Keibatsu?"

Kallen took a breath. "Me and a group of my acquaintances are looking to join the Keibatsu."

At that, the man smiled a little, dark eyes sparking with interest. "Ah, so there's more of you, is there?" He uncrossed his arms and stood up straight, fully facing her. He scratched his head casually. "Tell you what, you meet me at the docks in three days at ten, and bring your friends. That's where we'll decide if you're all worth trusting."

Kallen smiled, cocking her head confidently. "We'll see you then."

——

"We've got a date with the Keibatsu on Friday," Kallen announced as she swaggered into the apartment.

Lelouch turned from his spot on the couch. "Oh?" A wicked smile crossed his face. "Now this," he glanced to where Ohgi and Chiba sat to his left, "is good news."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: man, this code geass fic sure is lacking in chess metaphors  
> *writes this chapter*  
> Me: ahhhh, there we go
> 
> ——
> 
> This chapter was unfortunately quite late. I wrote each segment in pieces at separate times, which is definitely different than my usual. Usually I write it in maybe one or two large chunks or even all at once. This time I found myself unable to really set aside a large portion of time to just work on it all at once, so it took a while to finish it. This really was a big setup chapter to be honest, trying to enter us into the next phase/arc of the plot. There was a little bit of character interaction development with Lelouch and Tamaki though, which was a segment I wrote a while ago and finally was able to bring it in. 
> 
> I wanted Tamaki to get a moment of emotional maturity since he's always played off as kind of stupid and sort of comic relief. I think he deserves a bit better than that and he's always been a character that I've felt sympathy toward to some extent that no one takes him seriously. I wanted a chance to show a more mature side, since I don't believe that anyone would be that dense all the time. Even despite him being rough and loud and sometimes even dumb, I think he actually has a more grown up side (for example, when he feels like he's not doing enough for the Knights after he was demoted and goes to talk with Zero one on one about it in an honestly pretty mature way).
> 
> I also would like to mention how I use this chapter to put away any doubt that Phoenix is an original character. If this bothers you, I’m very sorry (I know some people really don’t like OCs getting mixed up into fanfics). She was a part of my original vision of the story (even before I decided to write it) and she is a vital piece. I firmly believe that well-written and well-incorporated OCs actually can have very valuable (but also not too distracting) places in fanworks. So, just to re-clarify and make sure no one misunderstands: Phoenix is an OC. Many people were wondering if she was one of the canon characters (ex: Cornelia, Shirley, Nunnally, etc) and while I’m sure that’d make for an interesting fic, it’s too OOC for my tastes and would require too much unnecessary manipulation in order to get these characters to fill Phoenix’s role.
> 
> With all that being said, I’m very excited to begin the next arc of the story! Things are a bit ebb and flow with this fic, in terms of action. We’re going to be getting a little bit more into the political and military sides of Code Geass, now that the setting has been fully established.
> 
> (....and yes, Tamaki barged into the bathroom without knocking. He is a hazard.)


	10. Words Less Sharp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first step to understanding is listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *griffin McElroy voice* velcome velcome velcome
> 
> I stopped playing p5r for long enough so I could FINISH THIS _DAMN_ DRAFT Y'ALL

"How did you actually get involved in all of this anyway?" 

Lelouch looked up at the sound of Ohgi's voice. "Hm?"

Kallen looked up from scrolling through something on her phone. "Yeah, actually, I'd like to know as well. I mean, I know you were in Shinjuku on that day when we were. But why?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Lelouch's face. "Oh, that." His gaze flicked down toward his coffee, and he swirled the liquid in its mug, contemplative. "One could call it fate, perhaps. The right place, the right time."

At this point, the rest of the Knights—the ones that were actually in the common area, that is—were also tuning in to the conversation. They probably thought they were being discreet.

Ohgi frowned. "The right place? Was it really just a coincidence that drove you to lead a terrorist faction?"

"Rebellion," Lelouch corrected absently. "And I had longed for a way to strike at Britannia for a while. It just so happened that the opportunity arose, and I'm not the type to let such chances pass me by." A look crossed his features, and he smiled slyly in earnest, now. "Though if I must pin down a reason for being dragged into this, I suppose it was your bad driving," he remarked ominously.

Kallen stared at him, unsure of what to make of his words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He chuckled and shrugged. "It's nothing but an inconsequential detail. It's funny how something so small can kick everything off," he mused. If it hadn't been for nearly running he and Rivalz off the road, none of this would have happened at all. He'd likely still be at school, wasting his life away as nothing better than a rotting corpse. Practically not even a life at all. Even despite the pain, the anguish, and the sacrifices this life brought him, he wouldn't trade it all in to return to his old life. As far as he was concerned, that life was dead to him. He was done with hollow complacency.

The reminder of the student council served only to drag down his mood. Just another weight on his conscience. He hoped that they were alright. He assumed that they likely had come out of everything relatively unscathed, but he had no sure way of knowing.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts, he tucked them away in a box for later, when he wasn't so busy with the here and now. "Anyways, that isn't really important anymore. We've come much farther than desperate runaway trucks with stolen poison gas."

Ohgi's eyes darkened, and his gaze flitted away. "Not right now we aren't. We might even be worse off than we were then."

"Not true," Lelouch interjected, giving a haughty smile. "You have me."

Kallen scoffed, a scornful grin on her face. "Well, look at you, Mr. Full-of-Himself." 

Lelouch gave her an easy smile, unfazed by her scalding tongue. He'd dealt with it often enough during their time on the council. Honestly, he occasionally found it refreshing. "I'm simply stating fact. I'm an asset, and you all know it. You wouldn't have come so far without my help."

Kallen folded her legs up where she sat on the armchair, leaning her elbows over her knees. She cocked a grin at him. "Maybe. But I still think you could do with a little humility."

He laughed breezily, feeling himself relax into the banter. "Modesty just isn't in my nature."

Kallen chuckled. "I'll say." 

Hm, how he enjoyed these verbal spars. Before, it'd been interesting to poke and prod Kallen using his complacent persona, but it was almost liberating to speak like this with the truth revealed between them. She seemed content to stand on equal footing with him, while the others were unsure whether to treat him as an enemy, colleague, or leader. While they were still unsure of their own feelings on him, she seemed to have it perfectly sorted out. Kallen had always had an innate ability to carve her own path and stubbornly see it through. It was something he really respected about her, a trait within her that he could see reflected in himself.

Chiba's firm voice cut through the light atmosphere. "Instead of sitting around wasting time, perhaps we should get to talking about what the plan for tonight is." Immediately Lelouch's walls snapped back into place. Her icy tone served as a fierce reminder that he was currently not fully welcome, even among his own Knights.

"Very well," he agreed, tone back to tempered steel, armor with no chinks. "A good idea, considering it likely won't be without some level of risk."

Kallen turned her attention to him. He was no stranger to the questioning curve to her brows. "What do you mean, 'risk'? You sounded pretty confident when we talked about it before."

_Sounding confident is what I **do**_. The thought almost slipped out into the open before he caught himself with a reminder of his company. No, that was too revealing. Instead: "I tend to go into plans with a healthy hope for the result." Vague enough that it didn't mean too much, but with just enough substance to count as an answer. Kallen seemed dissatisfied, but he wasn't here to cater to her, especially not now. "Anyways, my concern lies not with all of you, but with myself."

Now it was Ohgi's turn to be confused, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

Tohdoh broke in before Lelouch had the chance to explain. He leaned forward from where he sat on the large coffee table."Because you're Britannian, you mean?"

Lelouch steepled his fingers in front of him on the kitchen table. "Indeed. I'm quite obviously a Britannian, and something tells me the Keibatsu won't take too kindly to that fact. Resistance groups are understandably reluctant to trust someone that they consider part of the enemy." His eye drifted to the side as his thoughts wandered. _Even if I could attempt to pretend to be Japanese, my mannerisms would be a giveaway for sure. I can't deny that our differences are somewhat fundamental, in that sense. Even if I was careful, it'd be bound to fall apart_.

Ohgi still hadn't lost that old, haunted look he'd had since escaping the prison. "'Part of the enemy', huh...?" He shook his head. "I wonder if we've been going about this the wrong way..."

Tamaki scowled. "What're you havin' doubts for now? Britannians are shitbags that treated us like slaves to be bossed around! They _are_ the enemy!"

Lelouch couldn't help the coy smile that crossed his lips. "A lovely showcase of the very mentality we're trying to bypass."

Tamaki had the good grace to turn a bit red. "N-not you!" he spluttered, wrong-footed. "I-I mean, you _are_ kinda a shitbag. But not like _them_! You're on our side."

"Oh?" Lelouch had to try very hard not to be too visibly amused by his missteps. "Rather easy to please, aren't we?"

"It ain't like that!" Tamaki protested, hands balling at his sides. He narrowed his eyes and gave Lelouch his best accusing glare. "'Sides, you're just tryin' to confuse me with your words! Which I don't get, cause ain't we supposed to be workin' _together_? Why the hell are we all at each other's throats?!"

He turned and looked around the room, almost frantically. "Chiba," he said, staring at the woman in question with an almost exasperated glint in his eyes. "All you been doin' is givin' him" —a fierce gesture at Lelouch— " _shit_ , which I totally get, but it ain't really helpin'!

"And Tohdoh's been tryin' his best, but it ain't doin' much when he's the only one doin' anythin' at all! We're all just lookin' to him for what to do! Especially you guys!" He gestured wildly to Senba, Kento, and Asahina. They just blink at him, perplexed. "Ain't nobody gonna start makin' their own decisions?" 

A long ten seconds passed. No one had a response to that. In fact, everyone seemed to have been startled into a mute silence.

"Kallen, your constant bickerin' ain't exactly bringin' us any closer to bringin' down Britannia!" Tamaki knifed, sounding more and more frustrated by the word. His rant had fully taken flight, and no one made any move to stop him.

He threw up his hands at Ohgi. "Now ain't the time to be havin' doubts, man! We been at this for _years_! The Britannians've been kickin' us and kickin' us since we lost the war! Of course they're the enemy! Ain't nothing to consider!"

Suddenly, Tamaki rounded on Lelouch. His eyes were all fire, an impulsive rage that maybe he ought to take some notes from. "And _you_! All you're doin' is bullshittin' and we all know it! You keep tryin' to throw me off with all your stupid word-game bullshit and I'm sick of it!" He slammed his fist into the cushion. "Are we all actually gonna get along or what?"

Lelouch was truly, utterly stunned. At this point, he wasn't sure what he'd expected from Tamaki, but it sure wasn't _this_. It seemed that even after his reassessment of the man, he'd still managed to completely underestimate him. 

The words, while easy to attempt to brush aside due to the nature of the speaker, had roots of truth that were impossible for Lelouch to ignore, especially now that they'd been pointed out plainly for everyone to acknowledge. Perhaps the core of the issue did in some part lie with his own treatment of the Knights. He was behaving as if he was Zero, as if he was on a level above them. But that wasn't true anymore, was it? No, they didn't see him as Zero anymore. Yet they did not know him as 'Lelouch,' either. 

He'd gone about this all wrong. Behaving as the high and mighty Zero was not viable in this situation, he could see that now. Yes, with this new perspective they now had of him, he would need to adjust his behavior accordingly. Something different, something more inviting than the cold and aloof Zero. Something more forgiving, something more sympathetic. Something more... _real_? 

Something _human_.

Lelouch wanted to laugh and shake his head. Tamaki, of all people, solving his problem without even meaning to. The man was more complex than he'd ever let on to be. He'd have to be sure not to underestimate him from now on.

Gingerly, Lelouch decided to reassemble the pieces of the conversation; carefully, and with a tact he knew few in the room were capable of. "Tamaki is right," he began, keeping calm but not cold, measured but not robotic. They didn't want him to be perfect, he'd realized that now. That illusion had been long ago shattered, and all he'd done was attempt to throw up a curtain long ago unveiled. He'd built up walls, when perhaps he should've torn some of them down. "As things are now...we're unlikely to make any real progress." He closed his eye and took a long breath, letting it out slowly. He shook his head and opened his eye. "This...distrust...between us all is hindering any progress we might be making. And I will admit that your observations on me were not unfounded. I am surely part of the problem."

Tamaki seemed akin to a bomb that'd just been defused. "Good," he said simply. He looked around at everybody. "See, we can all talk like normal people."

"Yes," Lelouch agreed. "Plainly, then. With no 'word-games.' I'll make an effort to be honest and clear. I..." _Expect_ , was the word to cross his mind, but he pushed it aside. _Too commanding_. "...hope you all will do the same. No more trying to get a leg up on each other."

Ohgi recovered the fastest. "Yes," he said, sounding relieved. "I think it's for the best we start trying to get along."

"Okay then," Chiba began, with a purpose that felt suspiciously like a gun being cocked at his temple, "While you're feeling honest, you mind telling us what the hell happened to your eye? I think we've all been pretty generously ignoring it thus far, but I personally would like to know." Ohgi's sharp glance in her direction was a few shades too exasperated to be annoyed, but he was closer to fierce than he'd been in a while.

Lelouch stifled a sigh of impatience. To be honest, he'd been expecting more _productive_ questions than that, but he supposed he'd brought it on himself, leaving them in the dark like that. "Whatever you're expecting, you're likely to be disappointed. The Britannians saw to it to torment me a bit while I was in their custody. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not worth talking about."

Chiba seemed dissatisfied with his answer, and Tamaki was eyeing him less than subtly, but neither said a thing before Ohgi jumped in—though Chiba had begun to open her mouth. She fumed as Ohgi took the attention off her. Asahina rested a hand on her shoulder and shook his head; she huffed and swallowed whatever words were in her throat. 

"Perhaps we should leave that at that," Ohgi said, with a pointed glance at Chiba. The man was clearly growing sick of the antagonism on both sides. "Let's maybe raise some different questions. Preferably ones that will ease the tension within the group." He suggested, "Perhaps something that somebody wants to clear up?"

"Then perhaps I'll start," Lelouch said, surprising just about everyone in the room. "I'd like to clear up matters regarding how to address me, considering it seems to be a source of confusion. Lelouch is fine." It wasn't particularly easy for him to relinquish usage of his personal name to them, but it only made sense, really. And he was getting rather sick of their awkward tiptoeing. Not a single one had addressed him by name—with the exception of Kallen—so clearly they needed some sort of invitation, and being called Zero while not in the persona wasn't something they could do forever (and even then they all seemed so obviously uncomfortable with it, save for maybe Tohdoh). "Admittedly, it's been rather strange for me to never be addressed by name when you all so clearly know it."

Tamaki shifted uncomfortably. "It's super weird to think about callin' you Lelouch."

"Eh, it's not that weird," Kallen commented with a sideways glance at him. "Not any weirder than calling a masked man 'Zero' 'cause he told you to."

Lelouch inclined his head toward Kallen in agreement. "Quite." He continued after the briefest of pauses. "While I'm sure it's a bit odd—there is nothing particularly normal about this situation, clearly—in the long run, it'll likely be less strange." He carefully trimmed any reluctance from his tone. "Besides, the person with whom you speak isn't really 'Zero', is it? Or at least, not the same as the mask you have all become familiar with."

Tohdoh's lip curled ever-so-slightly into a curious smile, so subtle Lelouch almost didn't notice. "You intend to differentiate yourself from your mask?"

Lelouch leaned his cheek in his palm, giving the man a languid grin of his own. "The fact of the matter is that we aren't the same. There are always things one needs to conceal, for the audience's sake. There is always an extent of smoke and mirrors." He waved his other hand in a vague gesture. "For example, the fact that Zero is a mere seventeen-year-old. Such details would have ruined the performance. The public would never have trusted someone like that."

Asahina, who'd been remarkably quiet, crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, squinting behind his glasses. "Enjoy pulling the wool over everyone's eyes? How much of Zero is fake, then?"

Lelouch mulled over that carefully. "The unnecessary pieces were cut out," he finally responded. "Much of what remained was real."

Asahina, forever with that quirked grin, tilted his head. "Really?" The smug word was less a question, more an observation. A thinly veiled doubt.

Ohgi joined his hands where they met, dangling between his legs, elbows resting on his knees. He gave Lelouch a quiet stare. "I, for one, still hold immense respect for you, Lelouch." There really was something very surreal about hearing his real name from his Knights. At the same time, it felt like an olive branch in a time of war. "The miracles you performed were not fake. Young or not, I think it's fair to say your genius vastly exceeds our own." 

Lelouch stopped himself from preening too smugly; there was more than a little satisfaction to be found in Ohgi's admission of his intellect. "A statement I think few here can argue with." He paused, finding himself glancing away for just a moment. His fingers drummed absently against his thigh. "Though, it would be foolish to discredit your influences. My brains would mean little without your assistance. I would be nowhere without your initial trust and continued willingness to defer to my leadership."

Kallen blinked at him widely. "That was surprisingly genuine, Lelouch." For once, she seemed to have no witty remark in store for him.

Lelouch's gaze flitted back up, returning to meeting everyone's eyes. His hand stilled. "I'm aware I give compliments sparingly. But I believe they mean more that way. I hope you choose to believe me when I say that I am grateful for all you've done for me thus far."

Despite himself, Senba seemed to soften just a hair. "I hope you're not just trying to get on our good sides with this nice little speech."

"Nothing of the sort. Honesty seemed a good approach, if we're to start to understand each other."

Chiba's anger still burned. "I don't care how much you sing our praises. I won't forgive you for your betrayal."

Ohgi started to respond, but Lelouch swooped in first, declawing her words. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm asking for understanding." He shook his head. "I don't think you need one to attain the other. Yet, I'm fairly certain that a failure to get along will get us nowhere."

Ever so slowly, Chiba acquiesced. The molten lava of her eyes cooled. The hurt underneath was still present, but perhaps less tainted by impulses of rage. "I know that's true." A deep breath, calming and measured. "...I understand."

Relief flooded his veins. _Finally_. With Chiba's vehemence quelled, they could finally hope to proceed, perhaps even mend their strained relationships. It felt as if another bomb had been deactivated, another wire cut. It was just what he needed—people on his side, finally starting to come around. He was exhausted of feeling like the enemy, and ready to feel at home with some allies instead.

"Thank you," Lelouch said, finding that a weight he usually would've hidden from his words had snuck into them. _Honesty is a strange look on you, Lelouch,_ he thought to himself, bemused.

The air was almost tangibly clearer, lighter. Everyone breathed a little easier.

"Would you mind if I asked something, then?" Kento began. "Where is C.C.? Was she captured as well?"

The inquiry placed a damper on his mood. "I doubt it," he said, the assertion a bit more certain than he truly felt. Though, he _did_ doubt C.C. would fall into Britannian hands so easily. That woman was elusive when she wanted to be. "She's likely laying low somewhere."

Kallen seemed to realize something. "You know, that reminds me—who _is_ C.C., exactly? She just showed up one day with you without explanation."

" _Obviously_ she's Zero's lover!" Tamaki said loudly and matter-of-factly. 

Lelouch barely remembered not to roll his eye. "I assure you, we're nothing of the sort. We've simply made a deal. She's waiting for the return on her end of the bargain." A return he still remained in the dark of, he noted with thin annoyance.

Tamaki's face twisted—almost comically—with disbelief. "If you ain't a thing, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Frankly, it wasn't important enough to warrant correction." _And you likely would've continued to draw your own conclusions regardless._ Tamaki fell silent. 

"How long did you plan to become Zero?" Ohgi asked.

Lelouch hummed quietly. "As I lightly implied earlier, I actually had no such plans. It was spur of the moment. I was wrapped up in Shinjuku on the day of your poison gas incident, and from then on, worked from there." 

Kallen shook her head in wonder. "I still can't believe someone as methodical as you became Zero on a whim."

"It certainly was no simple matter. I had worries about gaining your trust, and about immediately being shot the second I showed up to" —Lelouch's tongue almost betrayed him; it was only at the last second he remembered to switch to Suzaku's family name— "Kururugi's public display, though I was willing to bet on the odds." His tone loosened as he became lost in thought. "Truly, the most unpredictable element is the human one." He still remained annoyed at Suzaku's refusal to join him on that day. One wrong word, one slip of the tongue, and he'd turned Suzaku off of his path. 

Bitterness touched the memory of his old friend as his more recent actions crossed his mind. Being dragged before the Emperor and used as a method to gain a promotion into the Knights of the Round... Not to mention Suzaku's new moniker as the 'White Death'. 

Disdain colored his opinion of Suzaku. While he'd been naïve before, at least he hadn't been such a blatant hypocrite. Now he'd shed his foolish pacifistic views and traded them in for basic ruthlessness. Though Lelouch supposed _he_ was one to judge.

"You and Suzaku were friends," Kallen said in a tone of realization. Things were beginning to dawn on her. "That's why you were so shaken up when we learned he piloted the Lancelot." The rest of the Knights' eyes were suddenly pinned on him, interested.

Lelouch narrowed his eye at her questioningly. Had it truly been so obvious? "What do you mean?"

She glanced away sheepishly. "Your comm was on. I heard you, um...laughing."

"Ah." Lelouch should've been able to pull himself together. He couldn't believe she'd heard him break down like that. Definitely not a crowning moment. As time went on, he'd had more and more of those. He ignored the...mildly concerned stares, and powered through. "Yes, Suzaku and I were...acquainted. It was a shock that he'd been the thorn in my side I'd been trying so hard to eliminate."

Ohgi appeared surprised. "You and Lelouch knew Kururugi?"

Kallen's laugh was more sarcasm than humor. "Wouldn't you know it, he went to the same school, in the same class. And _he_ was on the student council _too_."

"Kallen was on the student council as well," Ohgi clarified for the confused faces in the room.

Lelouch lifted a hand. "Which I was also on, if it wasn't clear from Kallen's exasperated tone. I think it's reasonable to assume she's—understandably—tired of the people around her having secret identities."

"Understatement of the century," Kallen groaned. "Next thing you know, Shirley's actually Phoenix or something."

That got a chuckle from him. "I think it's safe to say that's unlikely." His face smoothed, amusement fleeing his words. "So, yes, Kallen and I knew Suzaku. It turned out to be an...unfortunate situation, for obvious reasons."

Tohdoh nodded sagely. "That boy can be hard-headed."

"Yet another understatement," Kallen said with a sigh and a melodramatic shrug back.

"While we're all being honest," Asahina started, "who was it that you left the battlefield for?"

Lelouch couldn't keep the razor-sharp ice from his gaze. "That's still going to remain private." Begrudgingly, he forced himself to lose some of the steel. "Unless it becomes immediately relevant."

Asahina leaned back and sighed, though with that half-cocked grin, he hardly seemed too disappointed. "Figures."

They fell into silence that almost managed to be companionable. It was certainly closer to comfortable than it'd been thus far.

Lelouch leaned back comfortably, crossing his legs. "Well, if we've reached a better understanding...perhaps we should discuss the plan for our meeting with the Keibatsu representative." He met each of their eyes in turn. "I'm going to be honest: we'll need to do a bit of bluffing to get me through. But if everyone cooperates, it shouldn't be too difficult to pull off."

The Black Knights glanced around at each other. They turned to him and nodded.

Lelouch smiled, one of his chilling smiles reserved for plotting. "Perfect." He intertwined his fingers deftly, almost daintily—a movement punctuated with a smooth grace no one else in the room could even hope to match. "Then let's get started."

——

The light from her laptop cast a sickly glow over her face, throwing vicious shadows on the walls of the pitch-dark room. One hand cushioned her cheek, keeping her head propped up; the other scrolled through the depths of forums and comment threads. A long-cold half-empty cup of tea sat dejected to her left. The only sound in the room was of her short nails clicking against the laptop's touchpad as she scrolled and scrolled through endless lines of text.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, attempting to ease her aching shoulders. Her face seemed stuck in permanent glumness. She glanced at the clock on the corner of her monitor's display. 11:53. If she didn't wrap this up soon, she'd regret it in the morning. Slumping back forward, she settled one hand on her laptop as the other lifted the neglected tea to her lips. Just a few more comment threads. After that, she'd concede defeat and call it a night.

**Anon:** about time they executed that son of a bitch. if you ask me, they shoulda executed the whole lot of the knights publicly. maybe it'd help teach those keibatsu a lesson.

**Anon:** Did you guys see Phoenix's message the other day? Crazy shit. 

**Anon:** Has the world gone insane? Feels like this country can't catch a break.

**Anon:** all i really want is to live my life in peace. i wish phoenix would just give up already. she's done for anyways, sooner or later.

**Anon:** anyone else having trouble believing he's really dead? I mean, that guy was practically superhuman.

**Anon:** Goes to show that people should stop sticking their noses where they don't belong. Phoenix is bound to end up like Zero eventually.

**Anon:** is Zero really dead?

**Anon:** somebody i know says they saw Zero on the street on the day he was executed. can anyone confirm? i don't know what to believe.

At that, she paused. She clicked into the thread.

**Anon:** I heard that too! Thought my mom was just being delusional again lol

**Anon:** I'm super suspicious about that 'execution' ngl. Sounds like the government wanted to cover their tracks and zero outsmarted them again imo

**Anon:** tru. I mean, why didn't they take off his mask and reveal who he was if he was gonna die anyway? SMELLS FISHY TO ME (¬_¬)

**Anon:** It's all one big coverup. We have to see the truth through the lies.

She frowned, leaning in. This was the most promising lead she'd found in all her time of searching. It seemed she'd finally struck some information. Hopefully it was real. Her heart trembled in her chest, a flutter of hope like butterfly wings against her ribs.

**Anon:** man I sure hope not... that shit last year was scary af. At least phoenix keeps civilians out of it. Though I'd appreciate it if,,,, things were calm,,,,,,,,, for like just _one second_

**Anon:** ooooo zero and phoenix??? That'd be a crazy showdown. Maybe we'd get to see her finally use that sword lol

**Anon:** ugh I swear to god, if that's true. I'm so done with all this terrorist bullshit. I wanna go back to a normal life.

**Anon:** maybe if the government got off their asses for one second we wouldn't have to worry about phoenix _or_ zero

**Anon:** if prince schneizel were here, both would've already been exterminated without a doubt

She sifted through the frustrated ramblings of the public for the more interesting tidbits of information. Zero seen on the day of his execution, and not just by one account, either.

One side of her, the logical one, muttered that these sorts of rumors tended to get out of control. Zero seemed to attract extravagant exaggerations like moths to a flame. 

The optimistic side of her hoped that that flame hadn't burned out just yet.

Shirley snapped her laptop shut with finality. It would seem that tomorrow she'd have much more work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki: you’re a shitbag, but you’re _our_ shitbag  
> Lelouch: *turns to camera and frowns*
> 
> ~~
> 
> oh???? My god???? Did I actually do it????? Man, this was loooong (dunno why it feels so long when I know I've written longer lol). But in like, a good way. This was a real blast to write, honestly! Once the conversation started, it was really easy to keep flowing. Also pleased that I managed to work in some participation points for the less important members of the Black Knights. I'm sure many readers will be pleased that the Black Knights have finally made efforts to not only work together better, but also ease off Lelouch and ask some of their questions! The hostilities had to end _some_ time. Poor Lelouch needed some respite, or he was gonna burn himself out! (Also, that comment Kallen made about Shirley being Phoenix wasn't meant as a jab but kinda sounded like one, lol). 
> 
> Another thing: Tamaki being a driving force _again_ in this chap! It's not necessarily even on purpose, it's just that he's so _good_ at being stubborn and loud and ignoring cues that other people might not that he makes a wonderful "real talk" character. He's a great driving force to get peoples asses in gear and facilitating real discussions.
> 
> Finally: Sorry to leave off right before we transition to the next arc, but it was getting pretty long and this seemed to be a perfect place to stop. 
> 
> Also, looks like our dear Shirley might be up to something....


End file.
